In a follow-up to a report earlier in the week about newcomers on the offensive side of the ball, Rivals had football scout Lannie Julias break down each of the incoming Trojan freshmen and transfers on defense, providing an in-depth analysis of each player’s strengths and weaknesses. He also ranked the incoming players:

1. Everson Griffen
2. Marc Tyler
3. Ronald Johnson
4. Chris Gallipo
5. Malcolm Smith
6. DaJohn Harris
7. Marshall Jones
8. Christian Tupou
9. Trey Henderson

No surprises atop the list: Griffen is clearly the Trojan’s star freshman on defense, if not the entire team. Julias actually calls the defensive end “the premier high school football player in the nation for the 2007 recruiting season.” He adds, “He will be on the field early and often. He is an immediate impact guy,” also indicating that Griffen projects as both a “sack master” and “one heck of a run stopper as well.”

Interestingly, Julias’ #2 and #3 defensive prospects were players primarily recruited to play offense: RB Tyler and WR Johnson. Julias seems to agree with those observers who feel Tyler’s best position might be linebacker (especially wide-side linebacker, where Julias projects him as a hybrid defensive back/linebacker with skills to match). The scout also projects Johnson as a “big-time DB” if he were to stay at cornerback.

Of Gallipo, Julias indicates that the linebacker probably has the skills to play either inside or out, but needs to work on his tendency to overpursue. However, the scout feels that he has a chance to challenge for playing time early in the season.

Breakdown of the incoming freshmen: Defense (Rivals, $)