USC Football Recruiting: Nico Falah To Announce Verbal Commitment July 11

Nov 26, 2011; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Southern California Trojans quarterback Matt Barkley (7) takes the snap from center Khaled Holmes (78) against the UCLA Bruins at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. USC defeated UCLA 50-0. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee/Image of Sport-US PRESSWIRE

Per Scout.com’s Lindsey Thiry, coveted recruit Nico Falah has set the date for the announcement of his verbal commitment:

Aside from The Trojans and the Bruins, Falah is also considering Oregon but it is very likely that his commitment will go to one of the Los Angeles schools.

Falah will make his decision when he returns from The Opening, which will begin on Thursday in Beaverton, Oregon.

In our coverage of The Opening, Michael Castillo shed some light on Falah’s options:

"Looking for another potential USC commit? Look no further than offense tackle Nico Falah. Falah, a 4-star out of St. John Bosco in Downey, is set to make his college decision next week, deciding between USC and UCLA. Given the fact that eight USC commits will be with him at The Opening, and just one, Deon Hollins Jr., will be there as Bruin, you have to like the Trojans’ chances of clinching the commit."

UCLA has a legitimate change to snag him, as the talent pool of the offensive line for the Bruins is pretty shallow. He could find himself in a position to play right away with the Bruins, where at USC he might have to wait his turn. The new coaching staff under Jim Mora Jr. also needs to start adding some prized recruits to its rosters to reestablish a foothold in Southern California, and Falah would serve as just that. Falah even suggested to ESPN Recruiting Nation blog, We Are SC, that said new coaching staff is what has his interest piqued:

"“If [Rick] Neuheisel was still there with his staff, I wouldn’t consider UCLA that high, but [offensive line] coach [Adrian] Klemm and coach [Jim] Mora have been really good to me. They’re still in it. It’s going to be hard.”"

And did we mention his dad is a Bruin alum? That tie could very well sway Falah in their direction, as he has probably been well-immersed in UCLA culture throughout his childhood, and legacy ties can run deep. At USC, we most recently have seen safety T.J. McDonald develop in the ranks of Troy much like his father, Tim McDonald, did in the ’80s.

Then again, Falah could give his verbal commit to his father’s alma mater’s rival, USC.

He has said that the tradition of USC is a huge lure for him, and winning is definitely something that the Trojans can say they have done better than UCLA has over the past decade. AT SC he would shadow OTs like Kevin Graf and Aundrey Walker, and learn from the likes of O-line coach James Cregg, Offensive Coordinator Kennedy Polamalu, and Lane Kiffin, a solid roster of talent and minds.

Some analysts do have him pegged as a silent recruit to USC, but Wednesday at approximately 6 p.m. PT will determine the validity of that claim.