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Tuesday, February 18
Updated: February 19, 1:52 PM ET
 
Trojans ink best class in 20 years

By Tom Lemming
ESPN.com

Southern California parlayed a breakthrough season with an unbelievable recruiting class. The Trojans locked up every top prospect in California, except QB Kyle Wright (Miami). The Trojans signed a class loaded with offensive superstars including WRs Steve Smith and Whitney Lewis, RBs Reggie Bush, Chauncey Washington and LenDale White and OL Drew Radovich. On defense, USC inked DL Sedrick Ellis and LB Drean Rucker. Here's my breakdown of the top classes in the Pac-10:

1. USC TROJANS
   The Skinny  Key Recruit  Sleeper
The Trojans cleaned out California and had the most dominating recruiting performance in the state in the last 20 years.
RB Reggie Bush: Excellent combination of speed, strength and moves. He's also a surprisingly tough inside runner. LB Thomas Williams: Superior athlete with closing speed plays off blocks well and has a nose for the ball.

2. STANFORD CARDINAL
   The Skinny  Key Recruit  Sleeper
Stanford did a remarkable job nationally -- especially in the South. This is one of the Cardinal's best classes in 10 years.
WR Mark Bradford: Great leaping ability, timing, body control and anticipation. DE Emmanuel Awofadeju: Has only played a couple years of football, but has the potential to be dominant.

3. ARIZONA STATE SUN DEVILS
   The Skinny  Key Recruit  Sleeper
The Sun Devils filled their needs at QB and put together a complete class -- especially offensively.
DL Kyle Caldwell: Combines size, strength and quickness with long arms, super quick feet and good body control.
OL Michael Pollak: A fine all around athlete with tremendous quickness, speed, strength and leverage.

4. ARIZONA WILDCATS
   The Skinny  Key Recruit  Sleeper
Considering all that happened last season, this was an important year, and Arizona really came through in the clutch.
QB Richard Kovalcheck:Superior arm strength, a quick release and does an excellent job of throwing the ball while on the run. WR Syndric Steptoe: An explosive offensive, defensive and special teams player with plenty of moves and surprising strength.

5. WASHINGTON HUSKIES
   The Skinny  Key Recruit  Sleeper
It was a weak year in the Pacific Northwest, but the Huskies signed just about every top player in the area. It's a solid class.
WR Craig Chambers: An extremely fast receiver who can catch the ball inside and fight for the ball in a crowd.
LB Tahj Bomar: Great instincts, terrific range and good tackling skills. A terrific prospect.





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