Brian Baucham, the 5-foot-11, 175-pound two-star running back/cornerback from West High School in Torrance, Calif., finished his senior season with over 1700 yards rushing and 22 touchdowns.
"I have great vision and can make plays," Baucham said. "I have good agility and I follow my blocks. I'd like to work on my strength and break through the line better."
He benches 240-pounds and squats 360.
Baucham, ranked as the No. 133 running back in the country by Scout.com, favors USC slightly over Washington State (offer), Utah State (offer), Portland State and Idaho (offer). He just took an official visit to see the Aggies on Jan. 11. "I love the team," he said. "They really welcome you with open arms. The coaches are also really straightforward."
This coming weekend (Jan. 18), Baucham will be visiting Washington State. "It's a Pac-10 program and I like their tradition," he said. "I know they've been to the Rose Bowl before and I think they are still an up-and-coming team."
Although the Trojans haven't offered him a scholarship yet, Baucham has an official visit set up with USC for Jan. 25. "I grew up following USC," he said. "They've talked with me about scholarships and stuff and a few of their coaches are gonna be coming by my school on Wednesday.
"They said they just want to meet me and get to know me better," he said. "They've really only been recruiting me for about a month now."
Baucham says that he's being recruited by USC defensive coordinator Nick Holt. "I know coach Holt and a few other guys will come by my school," he said. "I know they want me to meet all the coaches."
Baucham says that he would still wait until signing day to make a decision, even if the slightly favored Trojans offered him before then. "I'd like to wait until the end and just see what happens and if anyone else comes in," he said. "I'd like to take some time and pray about things.
"I like USC a lot, but I feel like I might be able to make more of an impact at a program like Washington State," he said. "It would be great to help them turn things around and help them be a winning team again."
He says that the Trojans and Cougars have also talked with him about playing cornerback as well. "They are recruiting me for offense first, but said that corner is always a possibility," he said.
Baucham admits that his parents would prefer that he stay close to home. "All my schools are pretty close, so distance won't be an issue."
He reports a 2.3 core GPA and a 1920 SAT. "I'm qualified," Baucham said.