The University of Southern California – which has just 15 football scholarships for 2012 due to NCAA sanctions - received a commitment on Friday from standout defensive end
Pio Vatuvei, according to the Modesto Bee.
The 6-foot-3, 265-pound rising senior raised his national recruiting profile considerably this summer when he had the highest SPARQ rating for defensive linemen from among all Nike combines, which test flexibility, strength, quickness and several other skills.
As a junior at
Patterson (Calif.) he had 70 tackles and 12 sacks despite playing in the shadows of star linebacker Adrian Laurel.
Vatuvei had favored Cal until USC came into the picture. He also had offers from such colleges as Arizona, Colorado, Oregon State, Utah and Washington.
