USC head coach Pete Carroll and his coaching staff understand the need at wide receiver for the 2010 class, securing verbal commitments from two of the top prospects at the position nationally in Gardena (CA) Serra athlete Robert Woods and Hilside (IL) Proviso wide out Kyle Prater.
The 2010 class is loaded with top shelf wide receiver talent, giving the Trojans their pick when it comes to player capable of making an impact with the ball in their hands at the next level. One of those players who once called a Trojan offer his own is Carlsbad (CA) La Costa Canyon wide receiver Kenny Stills, one of the message boards’ most talked about prospects.
Stills, who was considered a Trojan lean for his entire recruiting process, lost his opportunity to attend USC when the commitments of Prater and Woods made news, leaving him with plenty of other top schools to choose from.
“The seventh is Penn State,” said Stills of his upcoming visits. “I’m really excited to get out there. I don’t think the Penn State fans realize how excited I am to get out there and experience that. That’s going to be huge.
“Then I go to Oklahoma on the fourteenth, and I’m excited about that too. All the visits I have I am getting so pumped up about. After I go to Florida on the 28th, and that’s going to be a huge game in Florida versus Florida State in the swamp. It’s my first time in Gainesville, Knoxville, Norman and Pennsylvania.”
Not only will Stills take all five of his official visits, but he will go on a tour of unofficial visits to some of the top schools remaining on his list, including the UCLA Bruins.
“I’ve been up to UCLA once this year and I’ll be up there again,” said Stills. “I’m doing my rounds. I’m going to San Diego State, and I wish I was still with the SC crowd so I could get up there and check a game out, but I haven’t heard from that staff and they’ve moved on so it’s both of our losses.”
News was made when the commitment of Kyle Prater went from solid to soft in the span of a week, followed by rumblings that the Trojans might be looking to get back into the recruitment of Stills or McDonough (GA) Henry County wide out Markeith Ambles.
Ambles, as many recall, faced a similar situation to Stills a few months back when his scholarship to USC was suddenly pulled off the table, although it looks like the Trojan coaches may still be looking around.
“We were sitting back at a gathering after the game and I was talking about my situation with SC and he said ‘They’re trying to come back after me now but I’m a committed Vol’,” said Stills of Ambles. “It’s funny that they’re coming back to the receivers after they pulled his scholarship and it’s a great situation there at USC.
“Like many people know, I was 100% full go Trojan. I just wanted to take my visits, but we went our separate ways after the commitments of two more highly ranked guys. I feel like there’s a huge, huge opening at receiver, and I’m not putting any of their receivers down, but there’s definitely an up for grabs in terms of being RoJo or whoever.”
One of Stills’ closest friends is San Diego (CA) Mission Bay athlete Dillon Baxter, a USC commitment who has put up some mind boggling numbers during the early portion of his senior season. With Baxter and Stills relationship as it is, the La Costa Canyon standout has asked his friend for a good word with Carroll and his staff.
“I told Dillon (Baxter) to put in the word for me,” said Stills. “That’s where I wanted to be from day one, but I just wanted to make sure it was the place for me, but I guess I definitely didn’t make it clear enough to the coaching staff.
“I didn’t make myself clear enough and I think they read into the he said she said stuff instead of being straightforward with me and ask me my situation. I would have said SC is the school I want to be it. This is a process not many kids get to experience. It’s kind of once in a lifetime thing.”
Stills has made it clear that he is ready to move on from USC, giving an opportunity to the bevy of schools still actively recruiting him. His list of scholarship offers are impressive to say the least, although the Trojans would still be on top should they decide to reenter the picture.
“I feel like if you want to go somewhere you want to go there,” said Stills of his interest in USC. “There’s no changing that. I feel like everybody has another plan, and if things don’t work out for me there, another situation will come up and I’ll turn to God.
“Wherever I end up will be a good decision for me.”
WeAreSC will bring you part two with Kenny Stills in the upcoming days, discussing everything from his recruiting here on out to his reputation and how he may have been misunderstood.
