Projections are calling for as many as 11 Trojans to be selected in the NFL Draft this weekend, with a handful more in line to get picked up as free agents following the draft.
As impressive as that stat is, those numbers will merely follow a remarkable trend that has been established at USC since Coach Carroll arrived in 2001.
In the seven NFL Drafts since Carroll's tenure began, 43 Trojans have been drafted and 36 more have been signed to free-agent contracts immediately after the draft. In total, 79 Trojans have gone on to an NFL camp following the seven Drafts in Carroll's time at USC. In that span, a Trojan has been drafted by or signed to 27 of the 32 NFL teams.
The last few years have witnessed a windfall of Trojans in the NFL. The previous three drafts have seen 26 USC players picked and 10 more signed as free agents, an average of 12 NFL-bound Trojans per year.
"We love seeing our players not only excel while at USC, but also for a ton of them to go on to careers in the NFL," Carroll said. "This is something we take great pride in."
So the NFL Network's recent declaration appears to be true -- USC might just be the "No. 1 NFL Factory:"
As impressive as that stat is, those numbers will merely follow a remarkable trend that has been established at USC since Coach Carroll arrived in 2001.
In the seven NFL Drafts since Carroll's tenure began, 43 Trojans have been drafted and 36 more have been signed to free-agent contracts immediately after the draft. In total, 79 Trojans have gone on to an NFL camp following the seven Drafts in Carroll's time at USC. In that span, a Trojan has been drafted by or signed to 27 of the 32 NFL teams.
The last few years have witnessed a windfall of Trojans in the NFL. The previous three drafts have seen 26 USC players picked and 10 more signed as free agents, an average of 12 NFL-bound Trojans per year.
"We love seeing our players not only excel while at USC, but also for a ton of them to go on to careers in the NFL," Carroll said. "This is something we take great pride in."
So the NFL Network's recent declaration appears to be true -- USC might just be the "No. 1 NFL Factory:"
AWESOME! I LOVE IT!
FIGHT ON!