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In 2014, the wide receiver will be an area of focus for the USC Trojans, presuming that current junior Marqise Lee will be an early entrant to the 2014 NFL Draft. Lane Kiffin and his staff took one baby step towards trying to find depth at receiver on Thursday night, as they sent a scholarship offer the highly-touted Josh Malone, per Scott Schrader of FightOn247.

Malone, a 6-foot-3, 187 pound receiver of Station Camp High School in Gallatin, Tennessee, is the third ranked wideout in the 2014 class according to Rivals, as well as the 38th ranked recruit overall. In the FanSided 150, Malone comes in at No. 90, just ahead of USC commit Jordan Poland and running back target Joe Mixon.

A slew of schools are in the mix for Malone, including SEC powers Auburn and Georgia, in addition to in-state power Tennessee. USC was one of the last holdouts on offering Malone, with Alabama and Penn State being two of the notable schools that have yet to offer him a scholarship.

Malone has gone to both Georgia and Tennessee –the early odds-on  favorites– on unofficial visits this month, and could conceivably add USC to that list next week. He’ll be in Los Angeles at UCLA’s Elite Camp on June 21st, and considering that it could be his only time in the area for the foreseeable future, an unofficial to USC wouldn’t be surprising given the fresh scholarship offer.

Malone is being recruited by Tee Martin, who handles the Tennessee and Kentucky region of the SEC, in addition to serving as the Trojans’ receivers coach. Last year, Martin was the main recruiter for another prospect hailing from just outside of Nashville, Jalen Ramsey, whom USC lost just before Signing Day.

Da’Shawn Hand has eliminated the #Hokies and #Gamecocks and has a top 3 of #Alabama, #Florida and #Michigan. #LSU and #USC could get trips.

— Mike Farrell (@rivalsmike) June 12, 2013

Hand’s top three is surprising, as he was long considered to be favoring Virginia Tech. But with the Hokies out of the mix and Hand’s proximity to Blacksburg, USC likely benefits from him having an extra official visit to burn. At least tentatively.

We saw the same thing last year with Robert Nkemdiche, who many have used to compare to Hand. Last July, Nkemdiche came out to say that both USC and Oregon could warrant an official visit in the fall, though it ultimately never came to fruition.

Recruits have five official visits that they’re allowed to exhaust, which many players take advantage of for the sake of traveling across the country and touring schools they never would have had the chance to otherwise. For Hand, USC very much fits that bill. And for the Trojans, Hand giving USC a visit would be playing with house money, even if it’s a hand to fold.

Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports

Another interesting development in the Matthew Thomas situation unfurled on Monday evening, when ESPN’s Joe Schad tweeted that Thomas’ father says the Florida State commit does indeed want to attend USC.

He made a decision for himself. It’s USC,” Matthew Thomas’ father said.

— Joe Schad (@schadjoe) June 11, 2013

Schad continued to tweet that though Thomas’ father claims his son wants out of Florida State, another source close to the situation refutes this notion, and that Thomas has not informed the university of any intentions to leave.

But re: Matthew Thomas, a separate source said the No. 6 overall recruit has not clearly told FSU he will not play there

— Joe Schad (@schadjoe) June 11, 2013

Interesting, as Thomas has been seeking a release from the Seminoles since May, and has publicly stated since February that signing with them was not his decision in the first place.

Schad also tweeted that his other source says “outside influences” are impacting Thomas’s desire to leave FSU, a reality that has yet to come to fruition as the university has not yet decided whether to grant him a release.

On that matter, Thomas’ dad made it clear where he and his family now stand:

Matthew Thomas’ Dad: “No disrespect to Florida State but Matthew is willing to take the punishment if there is one.”

— Joe Schad (@schadjoe) June 11, 2013

In speaking with Schad, Thomas’s father also explained that his son did not want to disappoint his mom so he signed with FSU, but now, “it’s about traditions. And surroundings. And excitement,” he told ESPN.

For that, Thomas wants to fulfill his original intention of becoming a Trojan.