Lane Kiffin called out for 'shady' recruiting at USC

USC's Lane Kiffin angered a California high school after pushing a player's scholarship back from the spring semester to the fall. (Photo: Kirby Lee, USA TODAY Sports)

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    Whether it's the regular season, the postseason or the offseason, negativity seems to find its way to USC coach Lane Kiffin, whose program has once again fumbled an opportunity just shy of the finish line. This time – as compared to No. 1 votes, deflated footballs, six losses and the like – the bad publicity centers around USC's recruiting efforts.

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    The story:

    Kyle Fitts, a four-star defensive end prospect from Redlands, Calif., committed to USC in April and planned on enrolling early, in January. His plan was seemingly confirmed on Jan. 5, when Fitts met and talked with USC coaches at the U.S. Army All-American Bowl, one of the nation's premier events for top-tier recruits.

    Two days later, on Jan. 7, USC told Fitts that it would not have a spot available for him in the spring. As a result, the coaching staff said Fitts would have to defer his enrollment until the fall semester. While Fitts' scholarship wasn't pulled (see: Tommy Tuberville at Cincinnati), it was pushed back. More than that, Fitts received the news just three days before he was set to enroll.

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    One problem (among the very many): Fitts had already graduated from high school. What was he supposed to do until June, when USC wanted him to enroll? As a result of the late change of heart, Fitts dropped USC and reopened his recruitment, trading in the Trojans for one of Notre Dame, Washington, UCLA or Tennessee.

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    Folks are upset. Fitts' coach at Redlands East Valley High School, Kurt Bruich, had this to say to The (Riverside, Calif.) Press-Enterprise:

    "Recruiting man, it's crazy. He's wanted to go to USC for as long as he can remember and now he feels betrayed. He did everything he was supposed to do from his end and he was a loyal kid. I think they thought because of that loyalty he'd still want to go there. He said to me 'What am I supposed to do for the next five months?' It seems shady. I think it seems shady to everyone."

    Bruich then streamlined his remarks into 140 characters on his Twitter account:

    "When people are desperate, their true colors show. Take the USC coach, captain of an underachieving ship. His true color: SHADY!"

    I'm not sure if shady is a color, but Bruich's condemnation of not only Kiffin but also USC's entire program (an "underachieving ship") speaks volumes. One can only imagine that East Valley High has become off-limits to USC for the foreseeable future.

    Fitts is one of four elite recruits to de-commit from USC since November. The first was safety Max Redfield, whose departure was made doubly painful by the fact he then committed to Notre Dame. The Trojans have also lost defensive end Eddie Vanderdoes and wide receiver Eldridge Massington.
    Source : http://www.usatoday.com/story/gameon/2013/01/15/lane-kiffin-usc-commitment-kyle-fitts-scholarship/1835969/