Notes on Recruits (Offensive Breakdown) that I have gathered from high school coaches, recruiting experts, and my own analysis of the recruit’s video. This list is not complete as I do not have info on every single recruit.
On offense, I do not have anything on WR Charles Holmes or any of the offensive line prospects. Of note with Holmes though is that he may not qualify academically and could be headed to prep school.
Andrew Clifford
6-3, 215 QB
-The lone quarterback signed by USC in this class, signed with the only FBS school to offer him.
-Accurate deep passer, but does not possess great arm strength.
-Makes quick reads of the defense, and does not hesitate to throw when he finds his man.
-He is somewhat mobile, not necessarily a scrambler, but can rollout to throw and does a good job of avoiding the rush – think Tony Romo with a little speed.
-Could excel with possession receivers – does well with a short three-step dropback, and throws crisp, well-timed passes on short routes.
-Seems to let some passes drift, sometimes tossing them too lackadaisical through coverages – those will get picked off in the SEC.
-He has good size, and if he can grow a little strength and weight wise, he may be one of the more impressive QBs physically in the SEC.
-Also of note: he comes from a football family. His dad played for the Florida Gators, he has two uncles who played for Clemson, and two different uncles who played for the Citadel. Two of his uncles are high school coaches.
Ben Axon
6-1, 195 RB
-Has too much spinning and juking during his runs that will not work against SEC caliber tacklers.
-Has good vision and finds holes, but lacks speed to burst through them.
-Could develop into a solid power-back with work in the weight room.
-Doesn’t give up on plays when checked by defenders and keeps feet moving.
-Axon has some work to do academically before he can enroll in USC. If he does not make the grade, prep school placement will be an option for him.
Jarvis Giles
5-11, 168 RB
-Giles is all about speed, speed and SPEED. He has great acceleration to go along with that excellent speed.
-He is a bit undersized right now so he will need to hit the weigh room this summer and fall.
-He has great agility and can stop, turn, juke, spining, etc without losing much momentum.
-Can run through piles of defenders without being touched.
-A home run threat anytime he gets to the outside, but can find holes and explode through them with his incredible quickness.
-He hits his top speed almost instantly.
-I would describe him as “Percy Harvin-esque” (how bout that adjective?), and he is the Gamecocks’ best commitment on offense in my opinion.
-He enrolled early for the spring semester so that should give him a head start in the weight room, giving him a better chance for early playing time.
Justice Cunningham
6-3, 242
-Does a good job of finding the ball, is an adequate jumper, has soft hands, and runs routes well – as a pass catcher.
-Lacks speed and play-making ability.
-Tough to tackle because of his size, which is already sufficient for Division-1 football.
-Has a shot at playing DL if TE doesn’t work out, though USC needs the depth at TE and there is far more depth on the DL.
DeMario Bennett
6-3, 185
-At 6-3, he has good height and above average jumping ability to catch jump balls.
-Has adequate speed, not a burner, and won’t break many tackles.
-May become a possession receiver as he played that role some in high school.
Alshon Jeffery
6-3 217
-Lacks great speed, a possession receiver for sure, but is deceptively quick.
-Uses size advantage to beat CBs to the ball, and then is tough to tackle consequentially.
-I am unaware of his blocking abilities, but he should be physically capable of blocking for the run game and short passes.
-Has soft hands and is already a polished pass catcher in that area.
-Jumping ability enhances height and times jump balls very well.
-Probably ready to make an immediate impact in the SEC as he appears to fit Spurrier’s system well – I would compare him to Sidney Rice in terms of his pass catching (jump balls, finding the ball in the air), but you could also view him as a Julio Jones type (from Alabama) who is very dangerous with the ball already in his hands.
-I feel he is a bit overrated as a prospect, but his ability to make an impact with his size, get immediate playing time, and the way he fits into Spurrier’s system will make him a great pick-up for USC in the end.
-As a DB – the qualities that make him a good receiver make him a good safety as well. Great hands and a knack for finding the ball in the air.
-Lacks speed to adequately cover receivers though, and would be a DB better suited for coverage-heavy defensive systems. Could have potential in a cover-3, but likely will not see that side of the ball in college.
Lamar Scruggs
6-3, 212
-Playmaker with the ball in his hands, but not a possession receiver solely.
-Has great speed and agility.
-Has quick feet and displays excellent balance in the air.
-Appears he could work on his route running ability, as he doesn’t seem to find many holes in the defense, but makes up for that with his physical attributes.
-Has similar size to Alshon Jeffery, but I am more impressed with Scruggs because of his speed. Jeffery is better at the jump ball while I can see Scruggs going over the middle of the field more often. Jeffery appears to have better hands.
-Scruggs has lots of raw talent and could be special once he is coached up.
-He also looks to be a potential kick or punt returner.
DeAngelo Smith
6-0, 170
-Top speed better than any other receiver’s in USC’s ’09 recruiting class.
-His size is comparable to McKinley’s and combined with his speed, expect to see him line up in the slot.
-Appears to be open A LOT, which indicates to me his route running may need little refining.
-Runs the corner route well and catches the ball over his shoulder like a center fielder – Smith and Clifford would work well together in that regard.
-Not an underrated prospect, but fills a big need for USC as a slot receiver type – a bigger pickup than anyone is talking about in my opinion.
-He is among the four smallest commitments for USC (Payne, Giles, Smith, Legree), so a redshirt season is possible if he doesn’t make the two-deep.
