TOP TWO RECRUITS DROP COMMITMENTS, ONE HEADS TO USC, OTHER MAY FOLLOW

The University of South Carolina has stolen its rival’s top recruit as running back Ben Axon of Bradenton, Fla. dropped his commitment to Clemson University Monday and opted to become a Gamecock.

Axon had committed to the Tigers in June, but after the resignation of Tommy Bowden, his commitment weakened considerably. Today, USC assistants Robert Gillespie and David Reaves were by his school, and shortly after that Axon made the decision to go with the Gamecocks.

“It was just the sudden downfall of the Clemson program,” Axon said. “They are going downhill. They lost to Georgia Tech, which I thought was very important to coach Swinney. It just didn’t seem right for me to go up there. I was a Tiger and I was committed to Clemson. Clemson felt like home to me. But I’ve made my decision and I hope everybody respects that.”

Axon said USC also was one of the first schools to offer him and he always remained interested in the Gamecocks. [The State]

This news came exactly one week after Clemson’s top recruit, Rock Hill safety DeVonte Holloman decommitted and reportedly visited USC. Holloman is considered the No. 2 recruit in the nation at his position.

I’m told that, since Bowden’s “resignation,” Clemson has dropped to 30th in recruiting, while USC has jumped to 14th. That’s just what I’m told, and I’m told a lot of things so it could be wrong. But have I ever let you down before?