USC Recruiting: Sebastian LaRue is Proof That Tradition Can’t Be Sanctioned

Moments after committing to USC on Thursday night, Sebastian LaRue told the LA Times’ Eric Sondheimer that, “the tradition is so great,” when referring to being a part of the USC Trojans. What’s really mean? That two years after the NCAA laid the wood on USC, sanctions have limited the Trojans’ inventory, but not their selling power.

While USC can only take 15 players per recruiting class and field a roster of just 75 scholarship players, there’s nothing limiting the Trojans from pitching the USC brand, which say what you want, just isn’t tainted one bit with recruits.

LaRue spoke with Gerald Martinez of Rivals on Thursday night as well, again driving home the fact that the USC name and brand is what sold him, coupled with the fact that playing at Troy allowed him to stay close to friends and family.

"Education wise, USC is a private institution and their fan base and alumni system is so strong. I admire that about the school. And then in athletics, the name speaks for itself. They have the No. 1 team in the country right now with guys like Robert Woods and Marqise Lee. Those are guys I look up to. They even have former players that have been successful coming back to the program like their A.D., Pat Haden. Those things are special all around. Not just on the football side of things, but the academic side of things."

While on the surface one could say that LaRue is just saying the right things and drinking the Kool-Aid that he’s supposed to, that doesn’t account for the fact that LaRue decided to come to USC at time when two other wideouts had already pledged their name to the Trojans, and guys like George Farmer, Marqise Lee, Victor Blackwell and Darreus Rogers will have a combined ten years of eligibility by the time LaRue plans to set foot on campus in August of 2013.

Like Woods and Lee before him, LaRue is risking playing on the defensive side of the ball at USC, and for LaRue, that risk could ultimately become his fate. Yet, regardless of the handcuffs on the USC program and the issues of depth in what it is actually a shallow pool, Sebastian LaRue committed to USC.

He didn’t commit to playing alongside Lee and Farmer in 2013, and he didn’t commit to running wheel route and catching passes from Max Browne. He committed to what he called a ‘special’ place.

No matter the color or size of a scarlet letter on USC, until someone convinces recruits otherwise, it’s history and promise speaks louder than its blemishes.