University Southern California Trojans
Trojans Get Nation's Top Recruits
February 04, 2004 | Football
Feb. 4, 2004
By JOHN NADEL
AP Sports Writer
LOS ANGELES - The Trojans are No. 1.
Again.
And this time, it's unanimous.
Five top recruiting services ranked Southern California's incoming freshman class as the best in the country, with Louisiana State ranked No. 2 by all five.
Sound familiar? That's the way the Trojans and Tigers finished up in the final Associated Press poll - ranked 1-2.
Because LSU beat Oklahoma 21-14 in the Sugar Bowl, designated as the national championship game by the BCS, it won the ESPN/USA Today national title, with USC ranked second.
"I have a great feeling about the players in this class," USC coach Pete Carroll said. "I'm excited about their competitive nature and how they've accepted the challenge of keeping us at a high level. They all will be given an immediate opportunity to show how they fit in and many of them will push for playing time this coming season.
"Recruiting has always been a critical aspect of our program and of our ability to maintain a high level of play," he said.
Among those who signed national letters of intent to attend USC on Wednesday were center Jeff Byers of Loveland, Colo.; linebacker Keith Rivers of Lake Mary, Fla.; defensive lineman Jeff Schweiger of San Jose, Calif.; wide receiver Fred Davis of Toledo, Ohio, and offensive lineman Thomas Herring of Los Angeles.
"USC's recruiting class is the best in the 11 years I've been doing this," said recruiting analyst Bobby Barton of rivals.com. "It's the highest quality class you're ever going to see."
Among the other standouts signed by the Trojans were quarterback Rocky Hinds of Playa del Rey, Calif.; tight end Dale Thompson of Corona, Calif., and offensive lineman Chilo Rachal of Compton, Calif.
Combine the incoming freshmen with the 16 returning starters USC will have next fall and the Trojans could be even better than the team that went 12-1 including a 28-14 victory over Michigan in the Rose Bowl.
Byers is the second exceptional recruit the Trojans landed from Colorado in as many years - they got tailback LenDale White last year. Byers will have a good chance at becoming USC's starting center as a true freshman. He had 34 pancake blocks in one game last season and didn't allow a sack in his career at Loveland High.
Rivers had 111 tackles including 14 for losses last season along with two sacks and two interceptions. He was born in Riverside, Calif., and lived in nearby San Bernardino for eight years.
Davis, a 6-foot-4, 215-pounder in the mold of current USC wide receiver Mike Williams, had 500-plus receiving yards and 600-plus rushing yards and scored 12 touchdowns at Rogers High last fall. He graduated a semester early and enrolled at USC last month.
In all, the Trojans signed 14 high school seniors and three junior college players. Davis is one of three players already enrolled in school. The others are Alatini Malu, a 6-5, 340-pound offensive lineman who transferred from Long Beach, Calif., CC, and Travis Draper, an offensive tackle from Paso Robles, Calif.
