USC Signing Day 2013 Predictions: Who Will Sign?

On Wednesday, hundreds of high school seniors will make one of the biggest decisions of their young lives when they sign their name on the dotted line with the university of their choice. They will fax in their Letter of Intent, a legally binding contract that stipulates where they will not only play college football, but also where they will work towards earning a college degree.

For USC, this day marks the beginning of the 2013 campaign, when they can finally look ahead to what talent is to be cultivated from the crop of athletes that intend to suit up in cardinal and gold. While some have been pretty set in their commitment to Troy for months now, others will be last minute decisions, and for others still, a relative surprise.

Its those last minute decisions that will make National Signing Day interesting. When the ink is dry and the faxes sent, these two uncommitted athletes will make their move to become Men of Troy:

LB Quinton Powell:

Powell had a really positive experience during his official visit to USC, so much so that he cancelled all his other visits he had planned after it. Trojan WR coach Tee Martin is recruiting him, and as we have discussed previously, Martin has a proven track record of pulling top talent out of SEC territory and bringing them out West. His decision was going to come down to USC and Florida, but with Florida passing on him over the weekend, it would appear he could be a lock for the Trojans now. His new Top 4 includes Miami, South Carolina and Oregon in addition to USC his recent Twitter activity–namely the USC athletes that he has begun following over the past few days–suggest a strong Trojan lead. He would be a huge get for the Trojan Class of 2013; as it stands now, Michael Hutchings is the only linebacker in it.

DT Eddie Vanderdoes:

Vanderdoes has raved about each official visit he took to USC, UCLA, Notre Dame and Alabama, so it stands to reason that his decision really is up in the air. However, USC has always been a front-runner and according to his dad, that official visit in particular really blew he and his wife away. The academic presentation the Trojans put forth was phenomenal according to him, and a school with strong academic clout is important to the family. That said, UCLA and Notre Dame also have that, too. On the field though, USC’s addition of Clancy Pendergast could make the difference for Vanderdoes, as he would get the best of both worlds in a 3-4 and 4-3 system. He makes his decision at 5 p.m. PST on Wednesday and cardinal and gold could be the color scheme of choice.