Hutchings takes USC tour
Michael Hutchings, a top 2013 linebacker, and Concord (Calif.) De La Salle teammate Michael Barton, a Cal commit, took an unofficial visit to USC on Wednesday and Hutchings said he especially loved the trip but did not commit.
The 6-foot, 184-pound prospect said he still wants to take a few more trips to USC probably for some games this fall and he's still strongly considering Cal and some other teams and isn't ready to end his recruitment yet.
Advertisement
Still, the Trojans have impressed him and have to be considered one of his favorites.
"The day started out well," Hutchings said. "It started out with a lot of energy. I enjoyed it a lot. I got a good vibe from the coaching staff and things went well. We met with the whole coaching staff. I was with coach (Joe) Barry most of the time and I loved everything about it.
"We did half a day of camp and did the campus tour. I like how they handled things. In the morning we went through drills and it was quick, we went right to it, there was a fast tempo, it was loud, there was energy and I liked that part of it."
The De La Salle recruit loved USC's urban campus and said he'd like to return this fall so he can experience the game-day environment. There were rumors that Hutchings was close to a commitment but he said he wants to visit maybe a few more times before making any decisions.
Cal, Michigan, Oregon State, UCLA and Washington have also offered and Hutchings said he's thinking about visiting some other campuses, too. He definitely loved everything he saw while walking around USC.
"We did the campus tour and I love the campus," Hutchings said. "It was a beautiful campus. It's an urban area right downtown so that was nice. I was at Cal last Saturday so I got both of those in the same week.
"I definitely want to take another trip down there. I wouldn't mind going a few times. I plan on attending the Cal-USC game and I'll probably be down at USC for a couple games this year. I definitely want to keep in touch with them and keep that a close relationship."
While it's still early, it looks like Hutchings has USC and Cal as his two favorites. His trip to Berkeley also went well and the Golden Bears are definitely under serious consideration.
"I love both schools right now," he said. "I was at Cal Saturday with Aziz (Shittu) and Matt Cochran and (Freddie) Tagaloa and Eddie Goldman from the East Coast, Bryce Treggs and Zach Kline were there so we had a lot of big-name guys.
"It's totally different campuses. With USC you're right there in L.A. and then you have Cal in it's own little community. I don't think you could go wrong with either one of those and I plan on seeing some other schools, too."