USC’s pitch to Rancho Cucamonga four-star tight end Jaylin Smalls has been about more than football, and the junior left Saturday’s visit to the Coliseum talking as much about the people as the product on the field.
Smalls, a 6-foot-4, 235-pound local recruit who picked up a scholarship offer from USC in June, is still getting used to downtown Los Angeles. But after spending time around the Trojans this summer and again on Saturday, he came away impressed by how the program handled him and his family.
He said the staff made a point of connecting with him early, with Max Stienecker serving as the main contact before Chad Bowden and Chad Savage came over to greet him and his family. Smalls said Savage had not met his family before, but that changed at the Coliseum.
"They welcomed them with open arms and treated everyone great. Chad said, 'Make yourselves at home and enjoy watching the game - see what we're about.'"
That tone carried through the rest of the day. Smalls described the atmosphere as welcoming and said the staff kept checking on visitors throughout the afternoon.
"The hospitality and atmosphere were great," continued Smalls. "The staff asked me if I needed water every five minutes. It was really hot, but you can't control the weather.
"The staff was on point with making sure we didn't need anything. The one thing I did enjoy was when I was in the facility, it had a cozy feeling.
It just felt away from everything. SC is in a rough patch in L.A. for sure, but when I was on campus it didn't even feel like I was in L.A."
Smalls left at halftime, like many of the other recruits in attendance, with the heat and the one-sided score making the rest of the afternoon less appealing. But the early impression had already been made.
"The one thing I really appreciate about the staff - Chad and even Lincoln Riley - always text me. They say 'Let's go, let's work today, let's get it done.'
They're never demanding or pushy. Some coaches can be like that.
"With them, it's like, 'Bro you know you're welcome here and you can come anytime you want.' It's laid back, and it goes back to the hospitality."
On the field, Smalls had another reason to pay attention. He had met freshman tight end Mark Bowman during a camp trip to USC over the summer and watched him in Saturday’s 42-26 win over San Jose State. That gave Smalls a chance to study a player whose game mirrors parts of his own.
"Any upper-level game, I'm going to focus in on the guys in front of me," said Smalls. "Especially with Mark Bowman because he is a bigger front guy.
His frame is something I'm putting work into - I'm trying to get up to that level. His physicality and blocking is something I relate to my game.
I was taking notes because that's key to my game.
"One thing I did focus on were his pull blocks and his reach blocks. His pull blocks and his reach blocks are really sharp.
We run that in our offensive scheme, so I was watching that closely. Learning from that watching film is even great to learn off of."
Smalls said USC remains in the mix for him, and his thinking is beginning to shift toward staying on the West Coast and keeping family close.
"As time goes on, I kind of lean toward staying on the West Coast a bit more," said Smalls. "Staying close to family is pretty important to me. I'm not going to lie, it's pretty major."
He does not have a list of favorites yet, but USC’s approach has clearly stuck with him. For now, that combination of football, familiarity and the way the Trojans make recruits feel at home keeps USC firmly on his radar.
"As much as I preach this, the hospitality at USC is top level. As time goes on, I can see why more and more people choose USC.
It's like home. You get the football aspect of it.
You get the high-level competitive aspect at USC, but it also feels like home when you're there."
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