Throughout this recruiting cycle, RecruitingNation will profile a number of ESPN 300 prospects in the 2015 class, including an inside look at the prospect, his recruitment, a scouting report and what college program could benefit when he ultimately makes his decision.
This is exactly the way things were supposed to play out for Ricky Town.
While his documented proof doesn't stretch as far back as the video of an eight-year-old Matt Barkley telling his family that he would one day become the USC quarterback, Town does have a photo of himself as a seventh-grader, arm in arm with Barkley on the USC practice field.
It was a moment in a long line of USC-related events that led Town from Northern California to the top-ranked prospect in the Trojans' 2015 class.
"It's always been a dream of mine," Town said of playing football for the Trojans. "I've grown up wanting to be the USC quarterback. When we moved down to L.A., we went to their games a lot and I always pictured myself being the USC quarterback."
Shortly after he and his family moved to the area, Town found himself at a fall camp practice with his father.
"I remember going there and watching Matt," Town said. "That's when he was taking over the spot as a freshman. I was watching how he handles himself and how he handles his teammates."
Town had an opportunity to take photos with then-head coach Pete Carroll and Barkley.
"I was so star struck, I didn't say much," Town said. "I was a pretty quiet kid."
Town eventually enrolled at West Hills (Calif.) Chaminade and transfered after his freshman year to Ventura (Calif.) St. Bonaventure, where he took over as the starting quarterback as a sophomore. Town's trek to USC appeared to derail last August, when he committed to Alabama. But that was far from the final moment in Town's recruitment.
When Steve Sarkisian made the move from Washington to USC, he wasted no time in designating Town as his top priority at quarterback. After numerous trips to the Coliseum, Town finally had an opportunity to spend some extended time on the USC campus in late January, as he toured the campus on an unofficial visit.
"It's one of the greatest football programs of all time, but I'd never gotten to see what USC is all about," Town said. "I was considering it and I wanted to pursue it, and on that campus tour, I fell in love with it."
On Tuesday, Town found himself once again standing on the USC practice field, as he attended the Trojans' first spring ball practice. This time, he was a USC commitment without the star-struck need to take photos with the USC quarterbacks. But that same seventh-grade exuberance was still present.
"It was awesome," Town said. "I can't wait for it. I was watching it the whole day, wanting to jump into all the drills. It was really cool."
About his recruitment: Town had a busy spring and summer before his junior season, as he took trips and participated in camps at schools across the country. Alabama and Texas were two of those stops, and he saw enough from Nick Saban and the Crimson Tide to make a verbal commitment in early August of last year. But when Sarkisian made the move from Washington to USC, he and his coaching staff targetted Town in a big way and were eventually able to pry the No. 22 overall prospect and No. 2 quarterback away from his Alabama pledge. It seemed to be something of a whirlwind commitment, as Town visited USC on a Saturday in late January, then made a return trip the following weekend before flipping his commitment on Jan. 25. But the 6-foot-4, 190-pound quarterback had thought long and hard about his process and never felt rushed into making a decision.
Scouting profile: Town possesses good size, but also looks to possess nice physical upside with a good frame to develop. The USC commit comes across as a quiet, focused and confident signal-caller. He possesses a strong arm and is capable of making all the throws and being able to drive the ball downfield. Strong armed, he can be a little erratic in his accuracy and, like on film, you could see the ball sail on him at times at the event. While accuracy could be an area for some improvement, he still possesses good throwing mechanics and is very capable of putting the ball where it needs to be. Town is among the top signal-callers in the 2015 class and can make big plays with his arm while still possessing promising upside. -- Craig Haubert
Handicapping the race: It would take something of a minor miracle for any school to flip Town from his USC commitment at this point. He likes the way the USC offense will look under Sarkisian and grew up wanting to play for the Trojans. Schools will continue to push for Town, but he is already a strong recruiter for USC, establishing connections with several local standouts.