USC Recruiting Roundup with WeAreSC's Scott Schrader & Dylan Brashier (10/17)

Each week me and our impressive intern from USC’s Anneneberg School of Communications hop on Zoom to record our USC Recruiting Roundup. At that time we recap some of the interesting USC storylines of the week for our YouTube audience. 

Our primary focus is on recruiting, but we’ll also touch on other topics each week.

In this USC Recruiting Roundup, WeAreSC’s Scott Schrader and Dylan Brashier discuss:

4-Star DL Jericho Johnson plans to visit USC again

Although USC will continue evaluating prospects throughout the 2023 season, right now there aren’t many top uncommitted targets the Trojans are heavily pursuing. We expect Lincoln Riley and USC to sign a few more 2024 prep ballers, but also expect the Trojans be extremely active with the transfer portal again this upcoming offseason.

In the meantime, enjoy the six remaining games in 2023, because there aren’t many names to focus on with recruiting. 

One of the most significant USC prospect names to know is DL Jericho Johnson. USC offered Johnson from Armijo HS in Fairfield (CA) on Jan. 3 and he visited for the first and only time on March 4. 

March 4 USC Visit

Despite visiting USC only one time this year, Johnson did spend considerable time with Shaun Nua that day. He also toured the campus and did the customary photo shoot at the L.A. Memorial Coliseum.

The impact of the visit was significant enough for Johnson to make plans for a return trip to Los Angeles.

“Yes I do plan on returning (to USC) again,” Johnson told WeAreSC on Tuesday. “I don’t have a specific date, but loved the vibes I was getting from everybody. And it’s such a a beautiful place to be.”

Johnson informed WeAreSC on Thursday that he still plans to take a USC official visit this year. He also plans to take an official visits to Oregon and has already taken officials to Miami and Washington. Johnson was at Oregon two weeks ago in Seattle last Saturday for the Huskies vs the Ducks.

USC v Notre Dame Recap

In my humble opinion, cardinal and gold views from the Notre Dame Stadium press box on what I saw, what I heard, and what I thought after No. 10 USC’s 48-20 Saturday night’s calamity to Notre Dame

Nobody asked me, but…

It was all so predictable. The cold, the chill, the wind, and the aftermath of a big rain storm here in the fall of Northern Indiana. It was again Touchdown Jesus looking for retribution while overlooking and blessing Notre Dame Stadium. The foreboding and ominous dark clouds added for effect. It was, indeed, the perfect setting for the House of Rockne to engulf the USC Trojans (6-1, 4-0 Pac-12), 48-20, overwhelming the Men of Troy’s players and coaches who had never been on the fabled Notre Dame campus until Saturday night. It was, in all its glory and mystique, part of Notre Dame’s overall master… 

It was all so unpredictable. Caleb Williams playing what may have been the worst game of his life on national television in prime time. A game when Caleb may have lost his bid for a second Heisman Trophy. A game where the scrutiny of Lincoln Riley just grew larger both in Los Angeles and across the nation. A game when the Trojans’ defense actually played relatively effectively given the circumstances, and Riley’s Trojans’ offense completely fell on its Air Raid face. A game where Caleb got brutally sacked six times while the Trojans’ could not even muster a sack on Irish quarterback Sam Hartman…

USC v Utah

Despite USC suffering the worst loss of the Lincoln Riley era at Notre Dame this past Saturday, the No. 18 Trojans are still favored against No. 14 Utah. This is a series that has picked up in intensity in recent years and the two teams have a ton to play for this week.

USC opened as 4.5 point favorites against Utah according to FanDuel Sportsbook. The Trojans opened as 5.5 point favorites according to BetOnline. That spread quickly rose to 6.0 and now sits at -7.0. The over/under from FanDuel opened at 57.5 and pretty quickly dropped to 55.5.

The Trojans now sit at 6-1 this season and bring a significant number of questions into this matchup with the Utes (5-1, 2-1). USC needed to recover an onside kick to hang on to a win at Colorado. The Trojans then had to go to triple overtime to beat Arizona. And then they collapsed at South Bend in that lopsided loss to Notre Dame. 

Utah is coming off a 34-14 win against Cal as the Utes scored their most points of the season. Utah is dealing without the presence of starting quarterback Cam Rising and has bounced between backup quarterbacks this year. But the defense has been consistent. The Utes haven’t given up more than 21 points in any game and have held five of six opponents to 14 points or fewer. 

USC is coming off its worst offensive performance of the year against Notre Dame. Quarterback Caleb Williams threw three interceptions and the Trojans turned it over five times against the Irish.

This USC – Utah rivalry heated up quickly last season. The teams met twice and both were ranked each time. Utah went 2-0 against the Trojans, posting a 43-42 win in Salt Lake City and a 47-24 win in the Pac-12 Championship Game in Las Vegas. 

USC holds a 13-9 advantage all-time against Utah, but it hasn’t been great for the Trojans of late. The Utes are 6-4 against the Trojans over the past 10 games and have won the past three in a row. The biggest question facing Utah this week will be if Rising is finally able to play. He suffered a torn ACL in the Rose Bowl game and hasn’t been available for any game this year. All season, it seemed as though Rising could be just a week away from playing, but games continue to tick off the schedule. At this point, it would be fairly surprising to see Rising play against the Trojans in the Coliseum, but the possibility does exist.