SANTA ANA, Calif.—Victor Blackwell will follow a line of recent stars from Mater Dei to play for Southern California, including current Trojan quarterback Matt Barkley and Heisman Trophy winner Matt Leinart.
Blackwell, along with teammate Max Wittek, Mater Dei’s talented quarterback, made early verbal commitments to USC—before the NCAA sanctions were imposed. Southern California has been banned from bowl games for the next two seasons, and scholarships were sharply cut because of violations involving former Trojan Reggie Bush.
Blackwell, however, was recruited by current USC coach Lane Kiffin when he was at Tennessee. At least for now, he is remaining committed to the Trojans.
“My freshman year, I may even redshirt, so it doesn’t really affect me that much. I’m really there for the education,” Blackwell told the Orange County Register. “We’ll be all right.”
Kiffin replaced Pete Carroll, who made the jump in the offseason to the NFL as head coach of the Seahawks.
Blackwell, at 6-foot-1 and 186 pounds, is considered one of the best receivers in California. He had 52 catches for 1,033 yards and 11 touchdowns last season for the Monarchs, who went 6-5. He averaged 115 receiving yards and at least one touchdown a game.
Some have said that before their senior season is over, Blackwell and Wittek could wind up being one of the most prolific duos in Orange County history.
Admired for his long wingspan and leaping ability, the biggest criticism of Blackwell is that he needs to develop his toughness. He is easily considered by many as one of the top 10 receivers in the nation.
Blackwell played this summer with Team 1925, a traveling group of California All-Stars coached by Keyshawn Johnson and Brian Kelly.
