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How important are five-star recruits? (part two)
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Former five-star recruit Mark Sanchez after
declaring himself eligible for the 2009 NFL
Draft. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes)
continued from previous page
CLASS OF 2006
Taylor Mays -- Mays has definitely lived up to the hype. In 2008, the free safety was named to numerous All-American teams and cemented his status as a slam-dunk first round draft pick, but he surprised everyone by deciding to return to USC for his senior season.
Stafon Johnson -- After sitting on the bench during most of his freshman year because of issues the coaches had with his attitude, Johnson played well as a sophomore and then again as a junior, but has had to share carries with fellow running backs Joe McKnight and C.J. Gable. Johnson should play in the NFL one day but is unlikely to be remembered among the great tailbacks in USC history.
Vidal Hazelton -- After a slow start as a freshman, Hazelton came on strong his sophomore season, catching 50 passes for 540 yards and four TDs. As a junior, however, he struggled with injuries and was upset that the coaches wanted him back on the field instead of having him redshirt to preserve a year of his eligibility. He eventually transferred to Cincinnati.
Allen Bradford -- Bradford originally came to USC as a safety but switched positions to tailback his freshman year. He has also been used at fullback, but prefers carrying the ball to blocking. Thus far he has struggled to get carries among the glut of running backs and suffered a hip injury in 2008 that ended his season early.
C.J. Gable -- Gable started out strong as a freshman but lost most of his sophomore year to injury. When he came back, he had to share carries with Johnson and Joe McKnight, and was quickly pulled from games this year against UCLA and Penn State after fumbling the football. After the season, he toyed with declaring for the NFL Draft but instead decided to return to USC for his redshirt junior year.
Antwine Perez -- After playing seven games as a backup free safety his freshman year, Perez, a New Jersey native, transferred to the University of Maryland. (Being stuck behind Mays might have had something to do with his decision.)
David Ausberry -- Ausberry was redshirted as a freshman and showed promise as a sophomore but struggled in 2008, catching only eight passes for 85 yards and one touchdown.
Josh Tatum -- Tatum came to USC as a highly decorated linebacker but redshirted as a freshman due to lingering injury issues. He left school after that year, eventually ending up at Missouri.
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