Three Sign Financial Aid Agreements With USC

In the 2013 recruiting class, USC raked in five-star talent, but Lane Kiffin and his coaching staff only signed 11 players. With the NCAA sanctions mandating the Trojans could only sign 15 players per calendar year, Steve Sarkisian had four spots available for 2014 early enrollees.

USC filled three of those four spots this weekend with Toa Lobendahn, Jordan Austin and Don Hill. The first on-campus recruiting weekend under Sarkisian ended with the trio signing financial aid agreements on Saturday and it is believed four-star Loyola (Los Angeles, Calif.) High School offensive tackle Chris Brown will soon do the same.

Lobendahn is the headliner of the group. The 6-foot-3, 293-pound offensive lineman is a consensus four-star offensive guard prospect from La Habra (Calif.) High School. He has played tackle for La Habra, but ESPN ranked him as the No. 8 guard and No. 155 overall Class of 2014 recruit. Rivals has him as the third best recruit at his position. ESPN gave him a scout grade of 83 on its 40-100 scale.

Joining Lobendahn on the line will be Claremont (Calif.) High School offensive tackle Jordan Austin. A three-star recruit, Austin will be a project. The new coaching staff will try to add bulk to his current 6-foot-5, 273-pound frame.

Hill became the latest player formerly committed to Washington to follow Sarkisian and switch to USC, following the same path taken by Mater Dei (Santa Ana, Calif.) High School cornerback Jonathan Lockett. Defensive tackle recruit Claudeson Pelon was previously leaning toward Washington, but committed to be a Trojan this week as well.

For Timberline (Boise, Ida.) High School, the 6-foot-4, 235-pound Hill played defensive end, but also saw time in a two-point stance. He is likely destined to be a pass rushing outside linebacker in the 3-4 defensive scheme Sarkisian said he would employ.

Idaho is not known for being fertile recruiting grounds, but Hill is the top recruit from the state with an ESPN scout grade of 81.