TJ Brock Commits to Trojans and More USC Football News

Can’t get enough USC football news? We’ve got your morning dose of all the best content from around the web concerning the men of Troy.

1st & 10:

First Take… The Trojans added their first commitment of the post-Sarkisian era on Sunday in the form of two-sport star TJ Brock out of Chaminade in West Hills.

Brock, a 2-star defensive back in football, is the fastest high schooler in the state of California, winning the 100 meter track title as a junior earlier this year. He’s set to enroll at USC next fall in the 2016 recruiting class.

“Each college that I visited resonated with me in one way or the other,” Brock said in a statement released to the LA Daily News. “But the college that I have chosen to commit to as a dual sport athlete is THE UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA! I will run track and play football as a Trojan!”

With a track scholarship offer, it seems most likely that Brock may be subject to a two-year parlay on playing football. Per NCAA rules, football teams cannot stash scholarship players on the rosters of other sports, meaning that if Brock is to play football immediately in 2016, he would count as a scholarship player. However, if he were to wait until 2018, he could walk on.

The Trojans’ 2016 recruiting class currently has 14 commitments, with six remaining scholarships. USC has five fewer rides available than the permitted 25, due to transfers Taylor McNamara, Daniel Imatorbhebhe and Chris Tilbey, along with 2015 blueshirts Clayton Johnston and Deontay Burnett.

And Ten USC Football News Links…

1. The biggest news of the day on Sunday was that USC receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster might need surgery on his fractured hand. Interim head coach Clay Helton says that the procedure in question is designed to ‘rapidly’ increase his recovery. (Reign of Troy)
2. Vegas released their line for USC’s homecoming game against Arizona, and the Trojans are dreaded double-digit favorites. They’re 5-4 with that honor since the start of last season. (Reign of Troy)
3. Reggie Bush’s season came to an end on Sunday, as he tore a ligament in his knee after slipping on concrete at field level in St. Louis. (Sports Illustrated)
4. The AP poll came out on Sunday and the Trojans juuuuuuuust missed out on making the Top 25. (ESPN)
5. What does Helton have to do to keep his job as the Trojans’ boss? Steve Bisheff of We Are SC says he’s got to do what Ed Orgeron couldn’t. (We Are SC)
6. Keyshawn Johnson Jr. released his top five schools, and lo and behold the Trojans made the cut. (SEC Country)
7. Looking back at USC’s win over Cal, Paolo Uggetti says they did it by following the Helton game plan. (Neon Tommy)
8. Keely Eure chimed in from Berkeley with some field-level highlights of USC’s win. (USCFootball.com)
9. If you’re into the still shots, John McGillen’s photo gallery went up on Sunday. (The Rips It Blog)
10. Former USC offensive coordinator Norm Chow was relieved of his duties as the head coach of Hawaii. (Hawaii News Now)

Stat of the Day:

Of Ronald Jones II’s 70 carries so far this season, 18 have gained at least 10 yards, good for a rate of 25.7 percent. Just how good is that number? Heisman Trophy front-runner Leonard Fournette is at a 21 percent clip, and the nation’s only ball carrier with as many 10-yard runs in fewer carries is Arizona do-everything man Jerrard Randall. He’s done it in just one fewer carry.

Tweets of the Day: