Happy 4th of July Weekend

It's Friday. It's hot. It's sunny. The 4th of July is on Sunday. And I'm lazy. So instead of trying to string together some 500-word post before the weekend hits, it's time to post some links instead. Let's not waste anytime; here they are:

• In the wake of the NCAA sanctions, Lane Kiffin and his staff have generally had little trouble in regards to recruiting, but are still having to convince top offensive line prospect Seantrel Henderson to actually enroll at USC after the Minnesota native did not show up for summer classes this week. Henderson is reportedly considering playing for Miami and Ohio State instead. However, he would be forced to sit out a season.

• Speaking of recruiting, USC and UCLA beat writers for The Orange County Register Michael Lev and Adam Maya have been discussing the ramifications of the NCAA sanctions on the USC-UCLA recruiting rivalry. In short, the pressure is on UCLA to deliver an impressive 2010 campaign to show Southland recruits that the program could possible eclipse the Trojans as kings of the Southern California college football scene.

• As for the upcoming 2010 season, ESPN's Ted Miller continues his series on uncertain positions, by taking a closer look at USC's secondary. The Trojans will be forced to replace NFL draft picks such as Taylor Mays and Kevin Thomas, as the defensive backfield may be a position of weakness in the fall.

• Threatening to go to the Rose Bowl a few years back seems to be paying dividends for USC football, as the Coliseum continues to undergo its annual summer renovations. Last season, a new video board was installed and the outer rim of the facility was painted in cardinal. This time around it appears as if the gates are expanding further outward in order to makes lines flowing into the stadium more efficient. Sounds good to me.

• With the NBA's Summer League begin shortly in Las Vegas and Orlando, former USC point guard Gabe Pruitt, who was drafted by the Celtics in 2007 before being released two years later, will be playing for the New Jersey Nets this summer according to Fansided.com's new USC blog - Reign of Troy.

• So you think all the news coming out of USC is bad these days? Well, apparently not. As noted by Scott Wolf of the Daily News, USC's 3 national championships during the 2009-2010 academic year was the most of any other school in the country. The titles came in men's tennis, men's water polo, and women's water polo. Not too shabby all in all.

• One final note, if you're looking for another reason to bash Mike Garrett, then you may have some new material. According to a report featured on AOL Fanhouse, the USC football program reeled in just $13.83 million in revenue. In comparison, Pac-10 rivals Oregon State and Washington brought in $18.35 million and $15.64 respectively. Can somebody explain to me how a school that hasn't been to a bowl game since 2002 brings in more revenue than USC?

Have a Happy 4th of July weekend. FIGHT ON!