The college football recruiting classes of 2010 and 2011 from Gardena Serra High School (Gardena, CA) should be able to collect residuals from the reenergized Trojans and newly formed Pac-12 Conference. At the most critical time in the history of Southern Cal football, amidst an NCAA recruiting scandal that could have permanently tarnished the image of the Trojans and the entire conference, Robert "Superman" Woods put on the cape he sported at Gardena Serra High School and changed the game.

After a stellar 2010 freshman campaign that began with Woods becoming the first true freshman wideout to start a season opener for the Trojans, it was clear he was in a class of his own. As a freshman, Woods developed a solid chemistry with point man Matt Barkley, and he was soon joined by high school teammates Marqise Lee and George Farmer. With Lee’s insertion into the Trojans weekly game plan, Lane Kiffin helped assemble the most formidable wide receiving core in all of college football.

While Pete Carroll was still at the helm for the Trojans, CLA Sports was in attendance at the Gardena Serra vs. Taft overtime thriller in 2009. Carroll roamed the sidelines as (Robert) Woods, Farmer & Lee faced off against Taft’s D.J. Morgan (RB/2010) & Antwaun Woods (DT/2011). Although the five USC recruits listed above could have chosen different paths, each remained solid in their initial commitment to the Trojans and remains on the active roster as of today.

Obviously Carroll wasn’t the deciding factor for young recruits Lee & Farmer, who nevertheless followed the lead of teammate and mentor Robert Woods to the Southern Cal campus. After interviewing Woods following the game vs. Taft, it was clear that he enjoyed taking younger teammates under his wing.

“That’s my brother (Farmer) ya know, pretty much. I’m committed to USC, of course I’m trying to get George to come to USC. You can never have too many weapons,” Woods told CLA Sports after facing Taft.

As a high school sophomore at Serra, Lee decided to take his talents from the hardwood to the gridiron, and he hasn’t looked back since. In the instant classic vs. Taft, Lee registered two interceptions and closed out the contest with an interception in overtime. It was then that CLA realized the Los Angeles area was about to unleash one of the top recruits in the nation on a sleeping audience.

As it turns out, Lee has been the most explosive weapon in the group of receivers that auditioned to become Woods’ counterpart. In 2011, although the Trojans added a bevy of the nation’s top college wide receiver recruits, with Farmer, Kyle Prater (IL) and Victor Blackwell (CA), Marqise rose through the ranks and caught the eye of Kiffin’s coaching staff early.

We could have never predicted the breakout season that the former Serra prep star had at SC during the 2011 NCAA college football season. Named the Pac-12 Co-Offensive Freshman of the Year alongside LA native De’anthony Thomas (Oregon), Lee has put himself in a class reserved for very few.

Lee stands a solid 6’0” (with shoes on) and 190lbs, however, for what he lacks in size, he makes up for tenfold with sick athleticism. In 2009, Lee, along with Farmer, led the Gardena Serra boy’s basketball team to a CIF State Championship title. More noteworthy, the Cavaliers football team captured the CIF State Football title in the same academic school year, allowing Serra to become the first school in California high school sports history to accomplish the feat.

In addition the USC trio of Woods, Lee & Farmer, Serra’s 2010 & 2011 college football recruiting classes included several other top high school players in the nation. The University of California benefited from the Serra football factory by signing 4-star linebacker recruit Jason Gibson in 2011. Arizona State landed stalwart defensive lineman David Moala (DT/2010), who posted 31 sacks in his two-year Serra varsity career and chose the Sun Devils over Miami (FL), Colorado and several other schools. SMU landed an integral piece of the Gardena Serra puzzle in Texas-native quarterback Conner Preston (QB/2011). This season Preston looks forward to competing for the starting job with Texas Longhorns transfer Garrett Gilbert.

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