California recruit: 'If Lane Kiffin leaves, USC might have a shot'

Recruiting was once thought to be one of Lane Kiffin's strengths, but with his long-term outlook at USC looking grim, he's beginning to hurt the program's recruiting efforts.

By Peter Berkes Sep 11, 2013, 12:28pm EDT

Demario Richard is a 2014 running back recruit from Palmdale (Calif.), and as a three-star recruit according to the 247Composite, he's getting a lot of looks from big time programs on the West Coast. Normally, this would be the kind of kid that would love to get an offer and play for USC, but that just doesn't appear to be the case right now:

Four-star running back --> RT @TheFaceOfCali: If Kiffin Leaves USC might have a shot at gettin me
— Blair Angulo (@bangulo) September 11, 2013

It should be noted that USC doesn't appear to be recruiting Richard, or have even offered him a scholarship. That said, Lane Kiffin's mere presence at the program is beginning to keep recruits away, and after the Trojans' 10-7 loss to Washington State on Saturday, the recruits in attendance did not come away with a favorable impression on where things were headed.

It's a long way from February, but the Trojans' 2014 recruiting class currently ranks ninth in the Pac-12 and 61st nationally, according to the 247Composite rankings. That's simply not going to cut it.