It's Official -- Joe McKnight to USC

Following up on this morning's earlier report -- in a press conference just moments ago, Joe McKnight from John Curtis Christian High School in River Ridge, Louisiana made it official -- he'll be a Trojan in 2007.

McKnight chose USC over Ed Orgeron's Ole Miss and his home-state Louisiana State, a decision that certainly won't make him a popular guy around Baton Rouge, but just made him a whole bunch of fans out on the West Coast.

And in case you're wondering what all the hype's about, here's some video, to give you a taste of what Trojan fans are hoping becomes a regular occurrence in cardinal-and-gold for the next three years:

People have been calling him a "slightly slower" Reggie Bush, mainly for his ability to run out of the backfield and catch the ball, and his skills at eluding tacklers. And we're sure this commitment won't abet those comparisons, not to mention the likelihood that McKnight will wear #4, just one off from Bush's now-retired #5.

For all of the hype, the remarkable thing is that the highly sought-after McKnight enters a backfield that already features the talents of C.J. Gable, Chauncey Washington, Emmanuel Moody, Stafon Johnson, Allen Bradford, not to mention 2007 commitments Marc Tyler and Broderick Green. Fact of the matter is, McKnight is going to have to live up to a lot of the hype, if he wants to crack the lineup in '07.

But Trojan fans welcome him with open arms all the same. After the injuries that hampered the running backs and fullbacks in '06, you can never have too many weapons in the backfield.