You know it’s officially USC week when stories like this start popping up:
USC middle linebacker Chris Galippo said it last year and he still feels the same:
No hard feelings.
But Galippo admits that he especially looks forward to being in the starting lineup when the sixth-ranked Trojans play at Notre Dame on Saturday.
Galippo, a third-year sophomore, visited Notre Dame as a high school junior, touring the campus with a group of highly rated prospects that included current Fighting Irish quarterback Jimmy Clausen and USC tailback Marc Tyler.
Galippo said Notre Dame Coach Charlie Weis was so intent on getting an oral commitment from Clausen that he neglected to speak to Galippo or even shake his hand.
“I came back home and committed to SC and
then he gave me the call and said, ‘We wanted you. You can start,’ ” said Galippo, who played at Anaheim Servite High. “I’m like, ‘Ah, it’s all right. I think I’ll go to SC.’
“Even if he had talked to me during the visit, I would have come [to USC]. But it would be nice to at least get a handshake.”
Oh, the horror! Charlie Weis forgot to shake the hand of a 16-year-old linebacker that was pretty much committed to playing at USC anyway.
While I make light of it now, this is one of the dangers of recruiting such high-profile and elite talents, and something that I’m sure Weis will be more cognizant of this weekend and in the future during Junior Days and other recruiting functions.
Galippo, now a redshirt sophomore, leads the Trojan defense with 32 tackles.