USC has increased its recruiting efforts in Texas of late. The Trojans signed four Texans in their 2021 class, putting the Lone Star State behind only California in the nation's No. 8 recruiting class, and they've also secured three transfers out of Texas schools. That includes two former Longhorns, running back Keaontay Ingram and defensive back Xavion Alford.
None of this should come as a surprise considering Clay Helton's staff includes Texan Graham Harrell as offensive coordinator and former UT assistants Todd Orlando (defensive coordinator) and Craig Naivar (safeties).
I mean, this image speaks for itself, does it not?
Now, multiple outlets are reporting USC is set to interview Texas director of recruiting Bryan Carrington. Carrington was a key figure in Tom Herman's recruiting success at Houston and Texas. The Houston graduate began working for Herman as a volunteer and worked his way to a senior position on Herman's off-field staff. He was a central piece -- depending on whom you talk to, the central piece -- in Texas's 2018 and 2019 classes that both rated No. 3 nationally, according to 247Sports. Carrington was especially integral in getting Texas in the door with West Coast prospects such as 5-star wide receiver Bru McCoy, 4-star wide receiver Jake Smith and 5-star running back Bijan Robinson.
The twist here, according to Inside Texas, is that USC is interviewing Carrington for a quality control role. The role would come with a 3-year contract, the site said.
Carrington's role at Texas has been in the air since Steve Sarkisian's hiring. Sarkisian hired Drew Hughes to run player personnel, and one would presume the new Texas head coach would attempt to find a place for him, but Carrington has not tweeted since Jan. 1.
In the meantime, USC will continue to recruit Texas with or without Carrington. Texas -- with Steve Sarkisian, defensive coordinator Pete Kwitakowski and co-defensive coordinator Jeff Choate all having significant West Coast ties -- will likely increase its efforts in California.
So Texas and USC are going to see more of each other on the recruiting trail in the coming years, in Texas and out West. But it remains to be seen who Carrington's recruiting for, and who he's recruiting against.
As always, stay tuned to The Scoop for the latest.