How many scholarships are left in the 2018 USC Football recruiting class?

How many scholarships remain in play for the 2018 USC Football recruiting class after signing eight on the first day of the Early Signing Period?

The eight signings USC Football locked in on Wednesday, the first day of the new Early Signing Period, wasn’t a particularly large haul compared to other programs, but the Trojans still have limited numbers to now work with ahead of February’s conventional Signing Day.

So how many rides remain to be handed out to bright young prospects?

Along with the eight new signees, the scholarships for 2017 blueshirt Jalen McKenzie and former walk-on kicker McGrath count against the 2018 numbers. That means USC is 15 rides under the limit of 25 per year.

UPDATE PRE-SIGNING DAY: USC announced both a ninth and 10th signing during the early signing period —defensive tackle Caleb Trembley and defensive back Talanoa Hufanga— giving the Trojans 13 rides short of the 25-per-year limit going into Signing Day. Their addition also gives USC 86 projected players on scholarship, which is one over the 85-man limit. Continue reading for details.

However, USC is also feeling the heat of a total roster crunch, paying for years of bringing in full 25-man recruiting classes and blueshirt counters to fill up the sanctions-hit lineup.

The Trojans ended the 2017 regular season with 83 players on scholarship, adding walk-on linebacker Grant Moore but losing tight end Cary Angeline. Also include newly-minted scholarship specialists McGrath and Reid Budrovich, and swap in Wednesday’s eight signings for nine graduating seniors, and USC winds up at 84 scholarships against the 85-man limit.

Thus, the Trojans technically have just one more scholarship to spare for the 2018 recruiting class.

Consider how support staffers Eric Ziskin and Gavin Morris have hinted of an unrevealed ninth signing on Twitter and USC may have already maxed out the roster.

That creates a situation where the coaching staff is beholden to attrition —early NFL Draft departures and transfers— if they’d like to expand the recruiting class on February’s Signing Day.

Some attrition is a near certainty.

There are close to 30 redshirt juniors, true juniors and redshirt sophomores who are eligible to depart for the pros though the majority are slated to remain. USC has sent in NFL draft evaluations for somewhere in the area of 10 players considering early entry, head coach Clay Helton said last week.

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Some of those, like running back Ronald Jones II, are certainly more likely than not to depart. Some are no doubt fringe draft-level players and may see advantages in staying. Others, like quarterback Sam Darnold, could decided either way. But it’s unlikely all 10 will opt to go.

Then there is the possibility of departures by other means. Former walk-ons like Rueben Peters or Moore with a fifth year of eligibility could opt to start their post-football careers. Scholarship players buried on the depth chart could opt to transfer away. Others may slip through the cracks in other ways.

Regardless, the size of USC’s haul in February will be directly linked to the number of players who leave, by any means, after the Cotton Bowl.

STAY OR GO: Which Trojans Should Leave for the NFL Draft?

No doubt there will be room should five-star prospects like receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown or cornerback Isaac Taylor-Stuart decide to sign with USC. However, competition for places for others in the 2018 class could get tight if the trend for potential draftees this year is to stay in college for another year.

The Trojans will have to choose wisely over the coming months, and keep crunching the scholarship match numbers.