Updates from July, 2007

Former USC RHP Ian Kennedy was promoted to the New York Yankees’ triple-A affiliate in Scranton/Wilkes Barre today, just over a year after he was selected in the first round (21st overall) of the MLB draft. His combined A and AA stats so far are stellar: 11-2, a 1.85 ERA and 129 strikeouts.
Ian Kennedy Promoted […]

Although Brandon Jennings is a year away from running a college basketball team, he has already started running his mouth. The highly-recruited point guard, who originally committed to play for the Trojans, only to change his mind and agree to play for Arizona, had this to say recently:
“I don’t […]

USC has issued its official press release previewing the upcoming college football season. It includes a roundup of preseason honors, a bunch of stats, trivia and notes, and a position-by-position look at the roster. Our favorite quote in the release comes from long-snapper Will Collins:
“Some people are rocket scientists. In my case, I’m a long […]

Placekicker Joe Houston is transferring into USC from El Camino College, and will join the football team as a walk-on. As a freshman at the junior college in 2006, he converted 9 of 14 field goal attempts (with a long of 41 yards) and went 34-35 on PATs.
Other placekickers on the Trojan roster include current […]

TrojanUpdate has compiled a rundown of which Trojan football players are on watchlists for various awards. We’ll have another update in a month or so as more watchlists are announced. Currently, the lists are on the larger side (some may have upwards of 60 names), but they are typically narrowed down as the season progresses. […]

HoopsVibe.com has published an article speculating on the marketability of freshman guard OJ Mayo, noting that recent NBA draft pick Kevin Durant just signed a $60 million deal with Nike, and LeBron James secured $90 million from the shoe company before he was even drafted. Analysts are predicting similar numbers for Mayo, suggesting that he […]

Scott Wolf is reporting that former Trojan fullback Jody Adewale has been given a scholarship for the upcoming season and will be a member of the football team once again. It will be nice to have additional depth at the position, but don’t expect him to play much.
Welcome back (Scott Wolf)
For what it’s worth, one […]

The Pittsburgh Steelers today signed safety Troy Polamalu to a four-year contract extension which will pay the Trojan alum (a first round pick of the Steelers in 2003) $33 million through the 2011 season, making him the NFL’s highest paid safety. He will receive $15.375 million in both guarantees and roster bonuses.
Steelers lock up Polamalu through 2011 season (ESPN)

Rivals subscribers can read the latest “War Room” update at USCFootball.com. Nothing earth-shattering this time, but there is a great deal of information on recruiting (even some tidbits on the class of 2009). There is also some news on the current team, including an update on the battle for center, and information on some of […]

Today’s edition of the Press-Enterprise has an article by Dan Weber about the Trojans’ returning seniors. Although some could potentially have found their way into the NFL draft this summer, defensive lineman Sedrick Ellis sums up the group’s mindset about their chief reason for returning:
“We want to see if we can win the national championship.”
USC’s […]