Arizona Football

USC Trojans vs. Arizona Wildcats talent overview: USC talent still impressive despite scholarship limits

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ARIZONA SENIOR PROSPECTS
Source: NFLDraftScout.com. Updated Oct. 6, 2014.

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Categories (left to right): Overall ranking, name, position, position rank, school, class, height, weight (CBSSports.com graphic)

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With junior wide receiver Victor Blackwell’s dismissal from USC, the Trojans are reportedly down to approximately 56 active scholarship players.

Despite this low amount — the maximum for FBS schools is 85 — the Trojans’ talent pool remains strong with equal NFL prospects than Arizona heading into tonight’s game, according to NFLDraftScout.com.

USC has 18 junior and seniors who are rated among the top 100 prospects at their position, including the No. 1 defensive end, junior Leonard Williams.

Arizona counters with also 18, but the highest-rated regular is senior Tre’Mayne Bondurant, who is the No. 12 free safety.

The Trojans have 15 juniors listed in the top 100 at their position, including only three for Arizona.

USC is serving the last year of an NCAA penalty for recruiting violations. The Trojans reportedly headed into this season with 70 scholarship players. It has lost a few to injuries and personnel issues, including the indefinite suspension of defensive back Josh Shaw, who lied about suffering leg injuries while trying to help his drowning nephew.

Arizona has standout juniors and seniors, namely Bondurant, wide receiver Austin Hill and running back Terris Jones-Grigsby, but most of the talent is in the freshman and sophomore classes that are the primary results of Rich Rodriguez’s three recruiting classes from 2012-14.

The Wildcats have a promising future with a young nucleus including redshirt freshman quarterback Anu Solomon, freshman running back Nick Wilson, sophomore receiver Cayleb Jones and sophomore linebacker Scooby Wright.

Only 17 players remain from the Mike Stoops era — all of them redshirt juniors, seniors or redshirt seniors — so the Wildcats have 65 scholarships filled (76.5 percent) from the effort of Rodriguez and his staff.

Louisiana recruit commits to Arizona

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JUNIOR PROSPECT RANKINGS
NFLDraftScout.com position ranking. Updated Oct. 6, 2014.

Southern Cal
+-Injured, will not play
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Arizona
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USC SENIOR PROSPECTS
Source: NFLDraftScout.com. Updated Oct. 6, 2014. Note: Leonard Williams and Nelson Agholor are juniors who are draft eligible. Aundrey Walker, Josh Shaw and Lamar Dawson either injured or suspended and not playing.

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Categories (left to right): Overall ranking, name, position, position rank, school, class, height, weight (CBSSports.com graphic)

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ALLSPORTSTUCSON.com publisher, writer and editor Javier Morales is a former Arizona Press Club award winner. He also writes articles for Bleacher Report and Lindy’s College Sports.

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