Southern Cals Pete Carroll Poking Around SC
Southern Cal, the co-defending national champions, may be entering the sweepstakes for
North Augusta two-way star C.J. Byrd.
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The Trojans called North Augusta on Friday afternoon to ask for an update on the tape
of Byrd they had requested a month ago. North Augusta coach Joe Long told Southern Cal it
had been mailed nearly a month ago, but he said would immediately send another one
immediately via overnight mail.
"We talked to Pete Carroll, and he said he loved the footage he had seen of C.J.
on the Internet (Rivals.com)," Long said. "He said they were very, very
interested and just wanted a tape to show the entire staff next week."
The player who is affectionately called "Big Byrd" because of his
good-natured attitude and tall but muscular build has already been offered by the two out
of three schools that played for last year's national championship -- LSU and Oklahoma. He
has 16 scholarship offers and counting through Friday.
"Southern Cal has one of the richest traditions in college and of course I'd be
interested in them if they offered," Byrd said. "The only way I would leave the
Southeast would be to play for a team that in is the national championship race every
year, and Southern Cal is one of those schools, as is Oklahoma."
The 6-foot-3, 184-pound Bryd is being recruited at both WR and FS. He will make an
unofficial visit to Tennessee on Saturday after trips to Clemson, Auburn and South
Carolina the last three weeks.
"I have to give Coach (Phil) Fulmer credit, he is very personable on the telephone
and seems to take personal interest in his players and recruits," Byrd said.
"And everybody around here is amazed that he sends out his own e-mails. Every other
school so far has had assistants send out e-mails, which is perfectly fine with me. I
enjoy any and all correspondence. However, Coach Fulmer personally sends out his own
e-mails and everyone thinks it's neat that he is up to date with technology, Heck, he
probably knows more about computers than me."
Also on Friday, the official scholarship letters from North Carolina, Florida and Penn
State arrived at North Augusta.