Georgia football ends National Signing Day 2020 with the No. 1 class in America. The Bulldogs’ triumph will come at the expense of one of college football’s most historic programs.
When you look at the top 10 of 247Sports’ team rankings, one name seems to be missing. Not Georgia football, that’s the name on top of the rankings. No, the missing team is Southern California.
As a matter of fact, the Trojans are missing from the top 50 altogether. Southern Cal’s 2020 recruiting class is ranked No. 54 in the nation, good enough for No. 10 in the Pac 12 and would be ranked ahead of only Vanderbilt in the SEC.
What’s going on with the Trojans? California is fertile ground for blue-chip football recruits. The 20 best players in California according to 247Sports Composite are all ranked in the top 200 nationally. How is Southern California ranked so low?
The how’s and why’s of USC’s turmoil have simple answers. Thirteen wins in two seasons and distrust in Clay Helton’s coaching prowess are major factors. Constant changing of athletic director’s since Mike Garrett stepped down from the position in 2010 hasn’t helped the Trojans. USC is a mess.
The better question is, who is benefiting USC’s demise? UCLA isn’t faring any better with California recruits. Pac 12 programs Oregon, Washington and Arizona State are doing a great job at poaching many of those players. Outside the Pac 12, one school is excelling at taking players from USC’s typical territory: the Georgia Bulldogs.
Kirby Smart has signatures of two recruits ranked in the state’s top 10. Four-star running back Kendall Milton has been all dawg since committing in July. He signed in the early signing period and has already enrolled at UGA. Four-star wide receiver Jermaine Burton brought jubilation to the Bulldog Nation when he announced his intentions of playing between the hedges. Washington is the only other program with two of California’s top 10 players.
Not that long ago, players like Milton and Burton would have been locks to Southern Cal. Just two years ago, the Trojans had the No. 4 ranked class featuring six players from California ranked in the top 100 nationally. That was standard for a very long time.
Now, the Georgia Bulldogs are traveling cross-country to sign some of the best talent California has to offer. Expect Milton and Burton to contribute immediately, Milton will most likely play in the G-Day Game in April. Burton, will probably be inserted into the game plan quickly as wide receiver was a position of dire need after last season.