What is the greatest USC football recruiting class of all-time?

USC football’s No. 10 recruiting class: 2010

Grade: 7/10 Class Ranking: 3rd nationally | 1st in Pac-12 Class Composition:

4 ★★★★★ 12 ★★★★ 2 ★★★

It was impressive of Lane Kiffin to hold the 2010 class together after Pete Carroll’s departure and, despite some misses, the class as a whole yielded great results.

Exceeded expectations:

Robert Woods was the Pac-12’s Offensive Freshman of the Year and the five-star receiver only got better from there, taking consensus All-American honors and setting seven USC records.

Four-star cornerback Nickell Robey was a Day 1 starter on defense and amassed 37 career starts with a nod as an All-Pac-12 first-teamer in 2011.

Hayes Pullard redshirted, but the four-star linebacker earned a starting place soon enough and went on to amass 377 career tackles, the six-most ever at USC.

Four-star prospect Dion Bailey followed a similar trajectory, starting three years at safety and linebacker after a redshirt season. He was the Pac-12’s Defensive Freshman of the Year and finished his career tied for 13th on USC’s career interception list.

Contributors:

As a five-star, George Uko didn’t light the world on fire, but he was a productive Trojan with two years as a starter on the defensive line.

Grimble delivered early with four touchdown catches as a redshirt freshman, but nagging injuries limited his production as a redshirt sophomore and junior. However, he still managed two All-Pac-12 honorable mentions.

Four-star tight end Randall Telfer had a similar career with fits and starts due to injury. He finished with 12 touchdowns and 34 career starts.

Safety Demetrius Wright was also a four-star player and became a starter as a senior in 2013.

Three-star fullback Soma Vainuku was ineligible to enroll in 2010, but eventually got to campus and became a special teams ace for the Trojans, even as his position was phased out.

Disappointments:

Five-star receiver Kyle Prater was slowed by injury during his time at USC, but ultimately transferred with exactly one catch to his name. The same goes for four-star receiver Markeith Ambles, who was dismissed from the team after one season.

The departures didn’t end there. Four-star running back Dillon Baxter wowed in practice but a series of disciplinary and academic problems saw him leave the program.

Four-star tight end Christian Thomas was forced to retire due to hip injuries. Four-star quarterback Jesse Scroggins transferred out due to lack of playing time while running back D.J. Morgan was hindered by injuries before quitting the team.

Another four-star, Giovanni Di Poalo never managed to break into the starting line up, spending four years as a back up on the offensive line.