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Rivals also battling for recruits
November 21, 2006
Simeon star
Martez Wilson is scheduled to leave Friday morning for his first official college visit -- to USC. He'll attend the Notre Dame-USC game Saturday night. The 6-4, 230-pound Wilson, a five-star prospect, has both schools on his list along with Illinois, Ohio State and Michigan. Wilson said his official visit to Notre Dame is scheduled for Dec. 1.
Will the victor Saturday at the L.A. Coliseum be the winner of the Wilson sweepstakes?
"Whichever team wins the game, that's not going to change anything for me," Wilson said Monday. "Both are high-caliber programs. What else can you say?"
Wilson made an unofficial visit to Notre Dame earlier this season for the Michigan game. Although he is a standout defensive end at Simeon, Wilson expects his role to change if he selects the Irish.
"Notre Dame said it would use me at linebacker," Wilson said, "and the coaches also said they'd use me on offense in the red zone."
The Irish and Trojans are battling over a number of top recruits. Another is
Everson Griffen, a 6-4, 266-pound defensive end from Arizona. Griffen is scheduled to visit USC this weekend, according to recruiting analyst
Tom Lemming.
"This weekend isn't just about this year for Notre Dame, it's about recruiting for the future," Lemming said. "I remember when USC beat Notre Dame by 31 in 2002. A lot of the top juniors and seniors saw that and lost interest in the Irish. Notre Dame has a chance to reverse things this season."
Irish coach
Charlie Weis, who cannot speak about specific recruits, did talk in general about recruiting against the Trojans.
"We go after a lot of the same guys, and [USC coach
Pete Carroll] wins on some and we win on some," Weis said. "The only way you're ever going to get any good recruits is if you're willing to go against the best."