By Marshall Kelner

Earlier today, Stanley Johnson (#9 prospect according to ESPN) verbally committed to the University of Arizona live on ESPN U. He was also considering USC and Kentucky, among others.

It’s a tough blow for Andy Enfield and his coaching staff, who were hoping to lure the local product (Mater Dei High School) away from Head Coach Sean Miller and the Wildcats. When Johnson’s recruitment began a few years ago, USC was not in the picture. However, after Andy Enfield was hired in April, USC entered into the mix to land Johnson. One main reason was Johnson’s relationship with Assistant Coach Tony Bland, who had been recruiting him while he was on the staff at San Diego State. The late charge by the Trojans, though, came up short.

Since Johnson made a verbal commitment and didn’t sign the National Letter of Intent, USC (and anyone else) can still technically recruit him. It’s highly unlikely they would be able to convince him to change his commitment at this point, but nothing is official until the letter is signed. If Johnson doesn’t sign by Wednesday, he would need to wait until the spring signing period to make his commitment to Arizona official.