Army Bowl pick has eyes only for USC
In an age of bloated egos and inflated confidences, there is Kylie Fitts, who never thought he'd be talented enough to play in the U.S. Army All-American Bowl.
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For years, the Redlands (Calif.) East Valley standout watched the Army game and longed to play in it but doubted he'd make it.
Fitts underestimated himself.
The four-star standout was presented with his Army game jersey during a ceremony at his school Tuesday, realizing another of his goals.
It was a no-brainer to pick Fitts for the game, since dozens of programs offered him and he's rated as the seventh-best strong-side defensive end and No. 100 prospect in the 2013 class by Rivals.com.
"It's huge for me," Fitts said. "Growing up as a little kid I've always watched these games and I watched all these great players. It has always been a goal for me to play in this game. I never thought I would but after today, I'm just really excited and honored.
"It's going to be very exciting. It's going to be cool to compete against all these guys. I competed at the Rivals Challenge last summer and I enjoyed that a lot but I'm really looking forward to competing in this."
Fitts, who has been committed to USC since April, has dealt with a wrist injury for a few weeks but should be back in more than enough time to compete during the Army week in San Antonio.
The cast has been removed and his doctor said Fitts should be ready to go in about a month, a nice window of time to get ready for the all-star extravaganza.
"It's healing well," Fitts said. "I'm just trying to get my full range of motion back and I'm waiting for the swelling to go down. It should be four or five weeks for it to heal so I'll be ready for the Army game."
On the recruiting front, Fitts said there is really no news. He has never wavered in his commitment to the Trojans and that has not changed through this season even if USC is having a down year by its standards.
The Trojans have lost three games -- two of their past three -- and four-star safety Max Redfield from Mission Viejo, Calif., de-committed over the weekend.
But Fitts said he wants to reassure USC fans he's not considering any other options.
"I'm 100 percent to USC," Fitts said. "Nothing is going to change my mind. Even with these three losses, no way is that going to sway my decision at all.
"There are a lot of guys who are still loyal like Su'a Cravens and Eddie (Vanderdoes) and all of us are 100 percent behind USC and we have their back. These losses and Max Redfield de-committing, there are a lot of us who are still 100 percent to USC right now."
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