Eddie Vanderdoes Wraps Up Official Visit To USC

Nine commits and recruits converged upon Los Angeles this weekend, in a mass Official Visit trip to USC. Of those, none has more buzz around him at the moment than five-star defensive lineman Eddie Vanderdoes.

The former Trojan commit from Placer, CA de-committed from USC in December, though he never took the Trojans off his list of interests. His official visit further increased his desire to don cardinal and gold, and he plans to keep USC in the forefront of his mind.

“It was great. I had a lot of fun down there with all the guys on the team and the commits,” Vanderdoes says of the visit. “I spent a lot of time with Coach Orgeron and Coach Kiffin talking about the plan for me and the need for me. It went really well.”

Vanderdoes also had the opportunity to meet new defensive coordinator, Clancy Pendergast, whom he raved about.

“I talked with Pendergast a lot. I have known him for about a year and a half now from when he was at Cal so I already had a relationship with him. We talked about how his scheme, and I liked how I would fit into it as a three-technique and a five-technique.”

His parents took this official visit with him, and Vanderdoes says they were really blown away by the academic programs available to him, as well as the resources provided to ensure success both on and off the field.

“They got a lot accomplished too. They had their own questions for the coaches and the staff and were really impressed by the things they were told.”

For Vanderdoes, the academic prowess that USC touts was impressive, but something else really stood out to him in its own right. “The Trojan family really is amazing,” Vanderdoes said of the extensive alumni network that USC promises its students and athletes.

USC’s current Trojans as well as the class of 2013 commits such as QB Max Browne, OG Khaliel Rodgers and OT Nico Falah did their part to encourage Vanderdoes to re-commit to the Trojans, but contrary to reports surfacing on Twitter and various message boards, he is not ready to make that kind of decision just yet.

“It [the official visit] definitely increased my interest, but I don’t want to assume anything yet until I have done all my visits and really evaluate all the schools against each other.”

With his visit to USC wrapped up, Vanderdoes will take two more official vists, one to Notre Dame on Jan. 25, and the other to Alabama right before National Signing Day on Feb. 2.