USC Recruiting Notebook: A September to Remember?

With the regualr season kick-off less than two weeks away, Recruiting News is still flowing, and USC is in great shape to have a "September to Remember".

It now appears that WR Jason Barnes will not announce next Thursday as was reported yesterday on another site, but instead wait and take game day visits to both USC and UNC before deciding with "Carolina" to choose. I think this bodes well for the Gamecocks. Barnes heart is leading him to Chapel Hill, as is his best friend and UNC signee Hakeem Nix. Barnes parents and everyone else close to him want him to attend USC.

September 9th is a weekend that USC fans should circle for a couple of reasons. First, it is the Georgia game. Steve Spurrier versus his longtime Nemesis. Spurrier probably dislikes no program as much as Georgia. At Florida, the Head Ball Coach was 11-1 versus the 'Dawgs. USC lost 17-15 in a hard fought game played in Athens last year. This year, Georgia comes to Columbia with a new quarterback, new offensive line, new receivers, a new defensive line an secondary. The game will be televised on ESPN @7:45 pm. Williams-Brice Stadium will be rocking!

The second reason to circle that weekend is that USC could land the proverbial "mother load" of Sunshine State prospects that weekend. Not only will USC land commitments from Ocala Trinity teammates WR Dion Lecorn, and FS Antonio Allen, but several Jacksonville, FL area players will also be there and could commit to the Gamecocks. First Coast High teammates FS Arkee Smith and CB Jamire Williams, and Andrew Jackson teammates RB Troy Pollard and Super DL D'Angelo McCray will also be on hand, and some, if not all, of those prospects could pull the trigger on a USC commitment.

An addition, Clemson commitment LB Scotty Cooper is also likely to be in attendance. USC has not given up on Cooper, and he is still in communication with USC assistant coach David Reaves.

Among many other top flight prospects expected to be in attendance will be Cheraw High School jumbo-athlete Cliff Matthews.

USC is still in strong position with Fort Dorchester jumbo athletes Carlos Dunlap 6'7 252, and rising junior Robert Quinn 6'4 255. Stay tuned to Cockfather Illustrated for the latest with these two stud prospects. Dunlap and Quinn form perhaps the top defenisve end tandem in all of high school football this season.

Not far behind that Dynamic Duo is another pair of defenisve ends that plan to play together at USC, in Laurinburg, NC Scotland County teammates Travian Robertson and Byron McKnight. Despite claims made by Clemson homer recruting analysts Cris Ard and Roy Philpot, the 6'4 237 pound Robertson is firmly committed to the Gamecocks, and is finished with the recruiting process. The 6'5 220 pound McKnight, who has the frame to grow into a 285 pound tackle, will most likely make his USC commitment official during the USC-Georiga weekend.

Lastly, in a recent update with Scout.com, Elite 11 QB Stephen Garcia stated in that interview that he could be ready to make an announcement "pretty soon". That would really make it a September to Remember for Gamecock Recruitniks!