However, the hatred doesn't change the fact that John Carroll (no relation to USC's Pete) is a damn good coach and he creates good athletes, so I'm really happy to hear that one of Oceanside's players committed to Arizona for the 2010 season.
Jerry Whittaker grew up rooting for the underdog.
When it came to Pac-10 football, that meant following somebody other than USC and UCLA, the two powerhouses located just a two-hour drive from his Oceanside, Calif., home.
"I always liked Arizona, probably because I was always rooting against USC and UCLA," he said. "Even when I was a kid, I thought, 'Arizona — that'd be a nice place to go.'"
Now, he's going.
Whittaker, a 5-foot-11-inch, 170-pound defensive back, verbally committed to the Arizona Wildcats late Monday. The seventh member of the UA's 2010 recruiting class chose the UA over offers from Texas A&M, Washington, Washington State, San Diego State and New Mexico.
Whittaker registered four interceptions as a junior at Oceanside High School, one of the San Diego area's football powerhouses. He was also a stellar wide receiver, catching 30 passes for 543 yards and seven touchdowns.
Whittaker said he's happy playing defense; he spurned interest from Cal and Wyoming, in part because both schools preferred him at receiver.
I really hope that this is a sign of things to come for Arizona. Recruiting out of Southern California is a gold mine year in and year out, so things will definitely turn out well for Arizona if this turns into a trend. As long as Sonny Dykes chooses to stay with us instead of taking teams up on head coach offers (which he'll definitely be getting in the future, count on it) things just continue to look up for Arizona.
Speaking of Arizona football, I've added a countdown timer to Arizona's home opener on the left sidebar.
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