USC Back in the Mix for Arik Armstead? Appears So

Photo from 247 Sports, via SI.com

According to Joe Davidson of the Sacramento Bee, the Trojans are suddenly back in the Arik Armstead sweepstakes. Armstead made it clear back in the fall that he was displeased with USC over how they treated the injury of his brother Armond, who missed all of 2011. That displeasure led to him de-committing from the Trojans, and as recent as this week, it appeared likely that both Armsteads would play together at Notre Dame or Auburn. With Tosh Lupoi moving to Washington, Arik Armstead’s recruitment opened wide up, and open enough for Lane Kiffin to make plans to visit the Armstead home.

Davidson’s report from the Sacrament Bee in relation to the USC Trojans, after the jump.

* * * *

"And about USC, seemingly out of the running long ago? Guss Armstead said it made no sense to turn down a home-visit offer from Kiffin, whom Armond played for. Arik has no more campus visits. His last visit was to Auburn, a trip he took with brother Armond and their father. Arik said he would love to play with his brother in college, but it certainly isn’t a deal breaker. Armond has one more season after starting on the defensive line in previous seasons with USC. Armond did not play this past fall for USC due to an undisclosed medical condition that was never life threatening. Armond will return to USC in the coming weeks to work on his master’s degree. He could still play another season for USC, which will likely be a top three preseason team next season. Armond also happens to be an intriguing NFL prospect at 6-5 and 295 pounds, able to play tackle or end. Arik gave USC a verbal commitment before his junior season then de-committed in November to accept recruiting trips to Alabama, Notre Dame, Oregon, Cal and Auburn."

So could this really point towards the Armsteads finishing where they started, together on the USC defensive line? That just may be the case in a very long-shot scenario. But, keep in mind that USC is still really far behind Notre Dame, and Lane Kiffin has a lot of ground to make up considering that the Armond Armstead situation was at the root of Arik de-committing.

For more on Arik Armstead, follow both

Joe Davidson

and

Shaan Franchi

on Twitter(in addition to

Reign of Troy

of course).

Home/USC Trojans