No. 2 USC Trojans (Pac-10 No. 1)

2010 haul: 20 (Athlon Consensus 100: 10, maybe 9)

AC100 Prospects

1. Seantrel Henderson, OL (St. Paul, Minn., 6-foot-8, 300)

At his size, Henderson is one of the more naturally gifted athletes to ever come out of high school. He has lightning quick feet and tremendous agility for a player of his build. He runs like a much smaller player should. Hailing from one of the Midwest’s most prominent programs, Cretin-Durham Hall, Henderson should have the training and coaching needed to contribute early.

Henderson comes off the ball with solid balance and a low center of gravity and will rarely get knocked back. He latches onto defenders and punishes them by driving them into the ground. On his pass drops, he uses great footwork and balance to shield defenders from the quarterback. He has a strong upper body that he uses to his advantage. His long arms allow him to keep pass rushers off his body while sound hand technique allows him to get great position.

Henderson is perhaps the most complete offensive line prospect to come out in years and only the second offensive lineman to be considered the No. 1. prospect in the country (Bill Fralic of Pittsburgh-Penn Hills in 1980).

He is the jewel of the Trojans' class, that is, assuming he actually signs with USC.

3. Robert Woods, ATH (Gardena, Calif., 6-foot-2, 185)
Claimed 2010 AC100 National Player of the Year honors. Superbly gifted raw athlete.

6. Kyle Prater, WR (Hillside, Ill., 6-foot-5, 200)
Long, lanky big-play threat who might be the most college ready receiver in this class.

18. Xavier Grimble, TE (Las Vegas, Nev., 6-foot-6, 245)
The nation's top tight end prospect is also the most well-rounded end in the nation.

20. D.J. Morgan, RB (Woodland Hills, Calif., 5-foot-11, 175)
Claimed 2008 West Valley Off. P.O.Y. honors after 1,800-yard, 26-touchdown season.

37. Markeith Ambles, WR (McDonough, Ga., 6-foot-2, 190)
Maybe the most fluid, most complete receiver prospect. Wowed at the U.S. Army Bowl.

46. George Uko, DT (Chino, Calif., 6-foot-4, 280)
Very raw player but has tremendous upside in the power and agility department.

49. Dillon Baxter, RB (San Diego, Calif., 5-foot-11, 190)
Excelled at running back, quarterback and receiver. Dynamic, productive prospect.

78. Jesse Scroggins, QB (Lakewood, Calif., 6-foot-2, 195)
The nation's No. 4 QB has great feet and arm strength but will need refinement.

96. Dion Bailey, S (Lakewood, Calif., 6-foot, 190)
All-state performer is at his best when he is sitting back in deep coverage.

Also Receiving AC100 Points

123. Demetrius Wright, DB (Corona, Calif., 6-foot-1, 202)
139. Christian Thomas, TE (Palmdale, Calif., 6-foot-3, 235)
141. Randall Telfer, TE (Rancho Cucamonga, Calif., 6-foot-4, 220)
176. Hayes Pullard, ATH (Los Angeles, Calif., 6-foot, 220)
204. Giovanni Di Poalo, OL (Ventura, Calif., 6-foot-4, 265)
227. Nickell Robey, CB (Frostproof, Fla., 5-foot-8, 165)

Where They Got Them

Pete Carroll/Lane Kiffin are national recruiters, and seeing USC go across the fruited plain for talent is nothing new. However, they took it to a new level this season. Four of the top six players in this class hail from outside California's borders. Henderson is the No. 1 player (and O-lineman) in the nation and is from Minnesota. The No. 3 player in their class (Prater) is the No. 1 wide receiver in the nation and he is from Illinois. The No. 4 player in this class is the nation's No. 1 tight end (Grimble) and he is from Nevada. Finally, the No. 6-rated player in this class (Ambles) is from Georgia. For good measure, they dipped into Florida for a talented corner in Nickell Robey.

That being said, the Trojans staff wasn't born yesterday and it knows full well it needs to build the team's foundation with home grown talent. Thirteen of the 20 total signees hail from the Golden State, including 11 of the top 15 players in this class. Much like Texas and Florida, USC constructs its class first with instate talent while picking and choosing the national stars to fill out the roster. Very few teams can pull this off and the Trojans are the ones writing the book.

The Trojans also took advantage of the great junior college ranks from the West Coast and landed a pair of JUCO defenders in linebacker Glen Stanley from Arizona and end Marquis Jackson from instate College of the Canyons.

The Scouting Report

It is very easy to see the where the strength of this class lies: The skill position players. Grimble is the No. 1 tight end in the nation, and packaged with Randall Telfer and Christian Thomas, form the No. 1 tight end class in the nation. Prater and Ambles are wide receivers Nos. 1 and 5 nationally. As usual, USC added a prep-star at quarterback to get them the ball. Scroggins is the No. 4 quarterback in the nation. If Robert Woods (No. 2 athlete) ends up on offense, this class enters the stratosphere of offensive weaponry.

The backfield is well represented as well. Morgan (No. 4) and Baxter (No. 7) are two of the top 10 running backs in the country. Soma Vainuku (Eureka, Calif.) is considered by many the No. 1 fullback. The versatility of this group is outstanding as both Baxter and Morgan are all-purpose runners who will be used in the passing game too.

The biggest issue for the Trojans in 2010 was restocking the wide receiver, tight end and running back positions. Joe McKnight, Damian Williams and Anthony McCoy are gone now. After the 2010 season, that list of departures will include names like David Ausberry, Ronald Johnson, Stanley Havili, C.J. Gable and Allen Bradford. The depth and quality of the skill players in this class is astounding.

Add to it, potentially, the No. 1 player and blocker in the nation — along with fellow O-lineman Giovanni Di Poalo — and the Trojans can claim the best offensive class in the nation.

Just because the talent on offense is extraordinary, however, does not mean that defense was ignored. The secondary received the most attention on this side of the ball. At least three and possibly seven players from this class could end up in the defensive backfield. Robey is considered by Monte Kiffin as potentially the No. 1 corner prospect in the nation. Safeties Bailey and Demetrius Wright are a formidable duo at the back-end. Hayes Pullard could also end up at safety but might be better suited at linebacker while Anthony Brown (Fontana, Calif.) should play at corner.

The biggest question surrounding this class might be where Woods ends up. He is an electric athlete who is nearly impossible to tackle in the open field when he touches the ball. But he won AC100 National P.O.Y honors because he was an outstanding defensive back as well. Wide receiver and safety are already strengths of this class, so adding Woods to either location is almost overkill.

AC100 tackle Uko is a raw player with rare physical ability and loads of upside. The front seven got help from the JUCO ranks with Stanley and Jackson.

Follow us at Twitter: AthlonBraden