Four-star picks up USC offer

Troy Niklas visited USC last week, met with the coaching staff, toured the campus and picked up an offer. It's another big one for Niklas, a 6-foot-7, 243-pound prospect who's being recruited as an offensive tackle and tight end.

"They liked what they saw on the film and they decided to offer me as a tackle," Niklas said.

"I'm always open to it. If that's what I need to do to get into the game then that's where I'll play. I'm not opposed to it or anything. It's not a factor where I decide to go. Everyone's body could develop differently. I could get there and I might not have the tackle frame. Maybe I'll turn into a perfect tackle frame. I'm going to take it one step at a time.

"I was really impressed with the campus and the coaching staff. I got to talk to the dean of the business school one-on-one and that was pretty cool."

Rivals.com rates Niklas, a four-star prospect, as the No. 16 tight end nationally, No. 227 overall and No. 24 in the California state rankings.

He's moved to the offensive line this season at Anaheim (Calif.) Servite but said some schools want him to stay at tight end. Others, like USC, are considering him for offensive tackle. The Trojans have moved up on his list after the offer arrived.

"I'm definitely going to take it into high consideration," Niklas said. "I do have other top schools to pick from but USC is a great education and does have a high-quality football program that wins games. The mentality they have there could help me become a better football player."

Stanford and Notre Dame are considered favorites at this point for Niklas, who will take an unofficial visit to Palo Alto next weekend. He hasn't scheduled any official trips yet but Stanford and Notre Dame stand out to him - now along with USC.

Cal, Colorado, Florida, Nebraska, Oklahoma, Oregon, Tennessee, UCLA and others have also offered.

"(Stanford and Notre Dame) have great academics," Niklas said. "You can't pass up those schools. Both are great schools with great academics. Both of them have a strong moral foundation on their football team and in the schools.

"Both places have great coaching staffs, too. Some people could say Notre Dame is struggling but coach (Brian) White just got there and he's building a program. Education is what I'm really looking for and football will be there and it will be a lot of fun."