The loss of Pete Carroll as head coach of the Trojans has affected this years class but not to the extent that it was feared prior to the announcement of Lane Kiffin as the new head man of USC.

In fact, now that Kiffin has taken over for Carroll, the Trojans find themselves squarely in the sights of several highly rated prospects who were not seriously considering the Trojans just three weeks ago.

Demar Dorsey, who recently backed off of his verbal commitment to Florida and was part of the ten recruits who visited the Trojans this past weekend, now has USC high on his list although Florida State will be hard to overtake for the services of this talented athlete.

Chaz Green, the mammoth offensive lineman from Tampa, Fl. was also a last minute push of the Trojans and was heavily recruited by Kiffin when he was at Tennessee. The Trojans and Florida will vie for this talented prep player. Green goes to the top of the Trojan wish list if Seantrel Henderson opts for someone other than USC.

Nickel Robey, the very talented corner back from Georgia also was part of this last weekends troop of visitors and rated his trip to the land of the Trojans as a “10.” Robey said that the trip was motivated by the hiring of Kiffin, whom he said he could ” definitely see playing for.” … [visit site to read more]

Laying the Foundation: USC Football Recruiting in 2009-10 (what We Know) - The 110 Report - The 110 Report - A Los Angeles Sports Site

With the recruiting season winding down and Trojan verbal commits dropping like flies, it is imperative that Mike Garrett, the USC athletic director, act rapidly and with conviction.

Hiring a big name head coach is only part of the equation for the Trojans.

Just as important is maintaining continuity between the existing staff, the new regime and the recruits who are still in the fold.

Robert Woods, the all-everything wide receiver from Serra high has recently gone on record as saying he intends to stay a Trojan.  Same with Anthony Brown.

Meanwhile, Kyle Prater from Illinois is just one of many that will start looking elsewhere. … [visit site to read more]

The “X” Factor In The Search For The Next USC Head Coach - The 110 Report - The 110 Report - A Los Angeles Sports Site

Over the last nine years, Pete Carroll has turned in a sterling 96-19 record for the Trojans along with one BCS championship and two AP titles.

Along the way, Carroll has returned the Trojans to national prominence with his fiery, enthusistic style.

That style allowed him to lure prep talent from all across the country to come play for the Trojans.

It also allowed Pete Carroll to become an icon in Los Angeles where his prowess as a football coach walked hand-in-hand with his altruistic side that motivated him to create a charitable foundation, “A Better LA,” which focused on the problems of the inner city.

For everything that Carroll accomplished on the football field…and on the streets of Los Angeles, we in the southland thank him. … [visit site to read more]

Pete Carroll’s Legacy Will Be Written By The NCAA Infractions Committee - The 110 Report - The 110 Report - A Los Angeles Sports Site

Those same rumors have Carroll requesting USC assistant head coach Jeremy Bates join him in the Pacific northwest.

According to one source, in regard to Carroll leaving the Trojans for the head coaching position in Seattle, “This is going to happen.”

Of course we have heard this story before.

Until last year, almost every head coaching position that opened up in the NFL had Pete Carroll’s name attached to it.

And every serious overture by the NFL has been resisted by Carroll.

But how about now? … [visit site to read more]

ESPN Says Seattle Seahawks Are Targeting Pete Carroll; Rumor Mill Swirls - The 110 Report - The 110 Report - A Los Angeles Sports Site

Have you read the news coming out the NFL regarding their defensive rookie of the year award?

Brian Cushing, the overall #15 pick of the Houston Texans, has just been awarded this prestigious award celebrating his 134 tackles, two forced fumbles, four interceptions and five sacks.

Cushing, a veritable tackle machine, will also find himself in the Pro bowl as well.

Wait, it gets better.

Clay Matthews, the overall #26 pick of the Green Bay Packers, finished third in that same voting by accumulating 51 tackles, one forced fumble and 10 sacks.

Matthews was one of only 13 NFL players to have 10 or more sacks in the NFL this year.

Hold on, I’m not finished yet. … [visit site to read more]

Dear Potential USC Trojan Linebacker Recruits: Read The NFL Rookie Awards - The 110 Report - The 110 Report - A Los Angeles Sports Site

In a sometimes driving rain, USC beat Boston College 24-13 in the Emerald bowl at AT&T park in San Francisco.

Boston College, who had overachieved all year, was only a missed extra point away from tying the Trojans at halftime.

Parlaying numerous Trojan mistakes into two scores during the second quarter, the Eagles had USC back on their heels as the first half ended.

However, the men of Troy found themselves just in time to turn back the Eagles, who were game, but couldn’t quite overcome the Trojans athleticism in the second half.

Missing 1,000 yard running back Joe McKnight, who was held out of the game due to compliance problems, and starting tight end Anthony McCoy and offensive lineman Tyron Smith, the Trojans sputtered and coughed most of the night despite some big plays and 438 yards for the game.

BC, who was led by shifty running back Montel Harris’ 102 yards, had 312 total yards for the game. … [visit site to read more]

USC 24 Boston College 13: The Trojans Get Their Lesser Bowl Win - The 110 Report - The 110 Report - A Los Angeles Sports Site

Uko, a 6’4,” 297 lb. monster of a defensive tackle, is ranked as a “Five-star” recruit by … [visit site to read more]

Laying the Foundation: USC Football Recruiting in 2009 (George Uko) - The 110 Report - The 110 Report - A Los Angeles Sports Site

For the first time in seven years, the Trojans will be participating in a non-BCS bowl game.

There is precedence for such an occasion.

Pete Carroll’s first year with USC, in 2001, with the Trojans riding a five game winning streak, lost to Utah 10-6 in the Las Vegas bowl.

The following year, Carson Palmer led the Trojans to an 11-2 record and a win over Iowa in the Orange bowl.

That year started an unprecedented seven year run where USC both won at least 11 games each year and finished in the top four nationally.

Of course, the comparisons end there for the 2001 and 2009 versions of USC. … [visit site to read more]

What Will The Trojans Performance Against BC Tell Us About 2010? - The 110 Report - The 110 Report - A Los Angeles Sports Site

Briggs, rated as a three-star … [visit site to read more]

Laying the Foundation: USC Recruiting in 2009 (Briggs and Martin) - The 110 Report - The 110 Report - A Los Angeles Sports Site

For example, the two premier high school recruiting services, Scout.com and Rivals.com often evaluate and rank prep talent very differently.

A good example of this would be Kyle Prater , the 6’5″ wide receiver stud from Illinois who recently confirmed that he was a “100% Trojan” come signing day.

Rivals has Prater listed as their #2 player overall, in the “Rivals 250″ list of top high school players in the nation.

Meanwhile, Scout has Prater listed as their #13 player overall (Prater has recently jumped higher in their list of evaluated players).

While this is not a glaring example of the discrepancies between prep recruiting services, it does serve to show that sometimes there is a gulf between the services and their evaluation of high school football talent.

The point is that often those assigned to rate the quality of high school athletes miss their mark and either rate some players too high or, conversely, too low. … [visit site to read more]

Laying the Foundation: USC Football Recruiting in 2009 (Scout 4 Stars) - The 110 Report - The 110 Report - A Los Angeles Sports Site