January 29, 2008

Jeremy Crabtree
Recruiting Analyst

The Golden State is always home to some of the nation's top talent and the final Rivals.com California top 100 for the class of 2009 is no exception to that rule.

Highlighted by the nation's top running back, Ventura (Calif.) St. Bonaventure five-star stud Darrell Scott, the California top 100 is loaded with difference makers that could help shape the destinies of several of the top teams in the nation.

And like in many years past, many of the top players in California are heading to USC.

While the competition was much tougher as UCLA, Cal and even Arizona State made things interesting this recruiting season, the Trojans are still top dogs with the top talent in California.

Looking at the top 25 in California, the Trojans secured commitments from five of the top seven players and half of the top 14.

USC is going to miss on the top prize in the state, but it did pull in stud linemen Matt Kalil and Tyron Smith and tight end Blake Ayles should be a big-time weapon for the Trojans. Kalil comes in at No. 2 in the state, Smith at No. 3 and Ayles at No. 5. The Trojans' dominance doesn't end there as defensive end Wes Horton comes in at No. 6 and defensive tackle Armond Armstead comes in at No. 7.

UCLA was in line to definitely make things a lot more interesting in state this season, but with the departure of Karl Dorrell the Bruins lost some top kids to de-commitments. Still there is some good talent heading to Westwood.

Guys like cornerback Aaron Hester at No. 8, Rahim Moore at No. 9 and E.J. Woods at No. 17 have shots at being really special players for the Bruins. They should also help bolster the Bruins defensive backfield for the future as Hester is a lockdown cover corner and Moore and Woods are multi-talented safety prospects.

Arizona State and coach Dennis Erickson have definitely done some damage in the Golden State this season.

Stealing away Ryan Bass, the national top 100 running back from Corona (Calif.) Centennial, away from rival Arizona definitely raised some eyebrows. Bass is the No. 10 player in California. Then the Sun Devils continued to rack up top players like Kemonte Bateman, the state's No. 13 player, Brandon Magee, the No. 44 player, A.J. Pickens, the No. 74 player, and Shelly Lyons, the No. 98 player.

Updated State Rankings: California | South Carolina | New York | West Virginia | Tennessee

Coming Wednesday: Virginia, Minnesota, Colorado, Washington, Florida