USC APPEARS TO BE NO. 2 AGAIN TROJANS' RECRUITING CLASS NOT SPECTACULAR, BUT STILL VERY GOOD.

Byline: Scott Wolf Staff Writer

USC fans want to know who will be the next Reggie Bush, LenDale White or Matt Leinart, with the Trojans poised to land one of the nation's top two recruiting classes today.

But a more immediate question might be who is the next Darnell Bing, Manuel Wright, Walker Lee Ashley or Thomas Herring? All of those players did not originally meet NCAA entrance requirements after the signing date and were forced to delay their college entry by one season.

That will be an issue today if the Trojans sign wide receiver Vidal Hazelton, rated the nation's No. 6 player by Rivals.com, but currently attending a prep school in Virginia. Several other prospects could make USC wait until the fall to see if they academically qualify, but even with those doubts, the Trojans seem destined to finish no worse than No. 2 today in national recruiting.

``I don't know that they are signing every blue chip but they are signing enough,'' said recruiting analyst Bobby Burton of Rivals.com. ``They got seven of the top 10 players in California. They dominated the state.

``The whole class is not the best ever, but it's outstanding.''

Burton projects the Trojans to finish No. 2 behind Florida, which will sign more players than the Trojans.

``These are the sorts of classes that give USC the most talented team in the country,'' Burton said.

Although USC already has a stellar class, a large number of uncommitted players still list the Trojans among their final choices. The biggest names to decide today are offensive lineman Andre Smith (Birmingham, Ala.), defensive tackle Gerald McCoy (Oklahoma City, Okla.), linebacker/tailback Marcus Sims (Tallahassee, Fla.), safety Jonas Mouton (Venice) and wide receiver Jamere Holland (Taft of Woodland Hills).

With the exception of Holland, who is expected to commit to USC, the Trojans are not the favorites with the other undecided players.

Late Tuesday, USC got a commitment from linebacker Michael Morgan (Dallas, Texas).

The gem of this class could be safety/wide receiver Taylor Mays of Seattle, Wash. He's so athletic, Trojans coach Pete Carroll wants to use him as a two-way player. Mays ran the 100 meters last year in 10.4 seconds. For perspective, that's about what Reggie Bush ran, except Mays weighs 220 pounds.

Wide receiver definitely seems the strength of the class, including Mays and Hazelton. The other receivers are David Ausberry of Lemoore, Calif., who is 6-foot-4 and in the Dwayne Jarrett-mold, while Travon Patterson of Long Beach Poly adds speed. The Trojans could get a lot faster if Holland signs.

But oral commitments can also be shaky. Hazelton is now considering Penn State, and tailback C.J. Spiller, rated the No. 8 prospect, committed last week but has wavered since tailback Stafon Johnson of Dorsey High in Los Angeles (rated 18th overall) said last Friday he would attend USC.

Scott Wolf, [phone]

scott.wolf(at)dailynews.com