USC landed a commitment Tuesday from OL Corey Robinson of Havelock, NC. Robinson is the 12th commitment for the Gamecocks’ 2010 class, the fifth offensive lineman. He had been favoring the Gamecocks since receiving an offer in June.
SportsTalk Rewind 06.30.09
June 30, 2009 By
Here is tonight’s recruiting report. Apologies for no Rewind last night. Internet problems prevented us from posting. Thanks for understanding.
Brinkley signs with Vikings
June 30, 2009 By
Former USC linebacker Jasper Brinkley has signed with the Minnesota Vikings. He was a fifth round pick in last April’s NFL draft. Brinkley is expected to compete for a backup spot at linebacker and he could play a big role on the special teams unit.
Brinkley was an All-SEC performer at USC . Despite coming off major knee surgery the year before, he had 65 tackles last season.
USC’s Bradley named frosh All America
June 30, 2009 By
Jackie Bradley Jr.
USC outfielder Jackie Bradley Jr. Tuesday was named to the first team of Baseball America’s Freshman All America Team. Bradley played in all 63 games last season starting 61. He batted .349 with 11 home runs and 46 RBI. His 89 hits is a record for a freshman in a single season.
Coastal Carolina pitcher Anthony Meo was named to the second team.
Commentary: More changes at USC
June 30, 2009 By
In case you missed it, USC associate athletic director for development Bryan Risner has resigned. Risner was in charge of the Gamecocks fundraising efforts and reportedly played a big role in the new YES seat-donation plan. He was also involved with the Gamecock club.
Season ticket sales are down for the USC football team and the YES plan has been met with some resistance from longtime Gamecock fans that are unhappy they are being asked to pay more for seats they’ve had for years. It would be easy to say Risner is the fall guy but I would venture to say this decision was in all likelihood made by him.
Risner has been in his current role since 2006 and has had to face the challenges of both very angry longtime Gamecock fans and an economy that is anything but strong. It could be he just decided it might be a good time to find a less stressful job.
I know a lot of Gamecock fans view guys like Risner and even Hyman as villains. Nobody likes being asked to give more money. It makes peopel more upset to be asked to give more when they feel that the product hasn’t been all that great. But Hyman’s stance is that if the product is going to get better, they need money for upgrades, to improve facilities and to pay higher salaries. And that is just naming a few.
I do feel bad for USC fans that have spent the better part of the past few decades shelling out money for season tickets to watch a mediocre to bad product. Now they are being asked to pay more money and some have decided enough is enough and are walking away. It is hard to fault them. If I went to a restaurant that kept serving me bad meals I wouldn’t pay more money to keep going back. I’d find a new restaurant.
However, college sports are an arms race these days and USC has been carrying sticks into battle against teams that have nuclear bombs. The results have been obvious. Hyman is working to enhance the Gamecocks arsenal and there should be some positive results from that. For example, the new academic center should have an immediate impact on recruiting.
USC has been playing football for over 100 years. They are a few games below .500. Hyman is right, it is time to try something new. And really it isn’t new, all the top programs in the country are doing this. Most have been doing it for several years or longer.
The bottom line is change is always met with resistance. And Hyman knew he was going to ruffle some feathers, but long term he believes this will make USC more competitive. I tend to agree with him.
