Prep Sports:
The recruiting trail

 

Monday, February 04, 2008

My guess: Four-star LB Kaveinga will choose USC
Because highly touted linebacker Uona Kaveinga and his family members are not talking to anyone right now, we are left to speculate on what the four-star recruit from Leuzinger High in Lawndale, Calif., is going to say and do on signing day.

Here's my guess: the kid who commited to BYU a few weeks ago (and has said little else since) is going to USC.

Before Cougar fans get on me for throwing out negative vibes, I just noticed that the editor of totalbluesports.com, Brandon Gurney, is also predicting Kaveinga is going to be a Trojan.

I am basing my call on a half-dozen conversations and/or e-mails I've exchanged with people close to the recruiters the past few days.

It has come down to three factors: 1) USC coach Pete Carroll has promised Kaveinga that his scholarship will still be there if he chooses to go on an LDS Church mission. That's groundbreaking stuff for Carroll, from what I hear. 2) Kaveinga's parents have warmed up to USC's coaching staff and are no longer pushing BYU. 3) Three letters: BCS.

The closest I can get to Kaveinga is his high school coach, and Deon Tolliver told me a half hour ago that he honestly doesn't know.

"We've had our discussions [in the past], but he's pretty much only talking to his family about it right now,' Tolliver said. "I don't ask anymore."

What Tolliver does know is that Kaveinga will make the announcement at 6 p.m. PST Wednesday on the local Fox television affiliate, Fox Sports West.

That's one of the reasons why I think it is USC. I just don't see the teenager going on live television in the Los Angeles market to say he's chosen BYU over USC.

Also, I talked to BYU-bound tight end Austin Holt tonight, and he told me that BYU Fed-exed two Letters of Intent to him on Saturday with the instructions that he is to sign one and fax it to BYU on Wednesday morming as soon after 7 a.m. as possible.

He can sign the other one in a ceremony during lunchtime at Bingham High and keep it in his scrapbook.

I can't imagine Bronco Mendenhall allowing Kaveinga to fax in the letter after 7 p.m. (local time) after he's asked all the other recruits to get it in early.

Plus, BYU will announce Tuesday that it will have a signing day party for boosters at noon on Wednesday where it will show highlights of all its recruits and talk about them.

And as you've heard a hundred times, coaches can't talk about recruits until they have signed.

1 Comments:

At 7:26 AM, Blogger Vancougar said...

Your analysis sounds pretty sound and I am thinking you are correct. Very tough to compete when USC comes calling.

 

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Jay Drew and Lya Wodraska cover high school and college recruiting for the Salt Lake Tribune. If you have recruiting news, e-mail drew@sltrib.com


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