USC Football Recruiting: Eddie Vanderdoes Commits to Trojans

Dec 26, 2009; San Francisco, CA, USA; The Southern California Trojans mascot before the game against the Boston College Eagles in the 2009 Emerald Bowl at AT

July 11th is officially Lane Kiffin’s lucky day.

In an incredible recruiting moment for the Trojans, USC received three verbal commits from the nations’ top lineman. Wednesday afternoon it was OL Khaliel Rodgers and Nico Falah, and late that same night, news broke that Eddie Vanderdoes, a five-star defensive lineman, is giving his word to USC too:

The Sacramento Bee broke this story, as Vanderdoes spoke with them about how excited he is about his future with Troy:

"“I feel great about this. Great coaches, great people. Can’t beat the academics, the football tradition, the weather. It’s a life decision. It’s not just a four-year decision. It’s huge, crucial, and it’s great. USC is setting me up for the rest of my career and life.”"

Many analysts said that Oregon was a favorite for Vanderdoes, but according to the Bee, it actually came down to LSU and USC. He is also scheduled to take an unofficial vist to USC this week, the Bee reports.

Vanderdoes participated in Nike’s “The Opening” last week, where he garnered Defensive Line MVP honors. He had the opportunity to hang out with USC commits Max Brown and Michael Hutchings, and their promotion of ‘SC easily could’ve encouraged Vanderdoes to give his word so soon. We mentioned in a previous article that these recruits are so connected to each other now with Twitter and social networking, and the constant talks amongst them definitely seem to be helping, among other things.

Vanderdoes said a part of giving his verbal now is so that he can “sleep easy” with recruitment out of the way:

"“I know it’s not officially over until I sign, but it’s USC for me. It’s done. I’ve got a big monkey off my back. Now I can just concentrate on school and football and not have to come home at 9 at night and return a lot of coach’s calls.”"

Like he said, it is not at all over until National Signing Day, which is still seven months away. As awesome as his and the other verbals that USC has garnered so quickly are, nothing is set in stone until the athletes actually sign with a team. There is still plenty of time for things to change, so Trojan fans shouldn’t get too excited just yet. Because USC has so few scholarships, recruits are jumping at the opportunity to lock one up, but that doesn’t necessarily mean they are 100% sold. It could just mean that they want to make sure they have a spot and aren’t left out.

Vanderdoes though says that he is with USC, and for now, this is a HUGE get for the Trojans.

According to the Bee he enters this fall as the Sac-Joaquin Section’s No. 1 recruit, followed by Lincoln of Stockton tailback Justin Davis, also a USC commit. Vanderdoes will be anchoring Placer High’s defensive line and also will play tight end and fullback. Placer High is expected to be championship contenders again this coming season.

July 11th will surely be remembered as an incredible day for USC’s recruiting class of 2013, which is currently ranked No. 2 after Michigan, by Rivals.com. For some perspective, Michigan currently has 22 commits to USC’s 13.

For more on USC’s 2013 recruiting class, click here.