Nice story in the OCR USC Blog on freshman TE Blake Ayles.
Blake Ayles (Orange Lutheran High) was the most dominant. D.J. Shoemate (Servite High) was the most valuable. USC-commit Matt Barkley (Mater Dei High) was the most outstanding. That was how I saw it last year, covering high school football in Orange County.
Now, after watching Ayles and Shoemate during their first two weeks at USC, guess what? They still have surprised me.
Let’s begin with Ayles, who has been good enough to be the Trojans’ starting tight end for the season opener. He was somewhat guarded about the idea when I suggested it, despite the fact that he’s seen more repetitions with the first team than any other true freshman.
“Maybe,” he said. “I’ll leave it up to the coaches. I’m a little slow on the playbook right now. That’s the only thing holding me (back).”
How great is that! We will have all 3, Ayles, Shoemate and Barkley, on the roster next season. That's going to be crazy in the coming years.This kid has a great head on his shoulders and he really has the right attitude even in the face of all the praise he has been getting. He knows his weaknesses and is will to learn but he also has the right attitude to step up and be the guy if he is called on.
I know its been a little nutty with all the uncertainty on offense but it will come together. I will have a little more on Ayles and some of the other receivers tomorrow.