Soaking in the Hollywood excitement at USC

Sharrif Floyd, a 6-foot-3 and 310-pound senior at George Washington High in Philadelphia, is one of the top defensive linemen in the nation. Floyd was named the MVP of the Premier Showcase in June and won the Maxwell Award at Football University in the same month, earning an invite to the prestigious Top Gun camp in July. With dozens of college offers to choose from, the 2010 U.S. Army All-American Bowl nominee will regularly check in with SI.com to discuss his season and the recruiting process.

Yesterday, I was out with my buddy Dillian, one of the coolest 9-year olds you will ever meet. He is the son of my guidance counselor and we hang out a lot. Even though I'm twice as old as he is, we get along great, playing video games and hanging. Yesterday, we shot a bow and arrow at targets and with my big fingers, I had a hard time doing it. That's my excuse at least.

Dillian steps up, cool as can be, and nails a bull's-eye on his first shot.

I wish life was that easy. I wish you could hit everything first shot.

It's not though, which leads me to a recent weekend trip that I took. I flew to the left coast, Los Angeles, for my official visit to USC. One week, I was in Gainesville to check out Florida. The next week I was with the Trojans. Life isn't bad.

After last Friday night's 41-10 win against Overbrook (Pa.), I jumped on a plane. It was a long flight, but I kept thinking about our front four at George Washington High. Not gonna lie, I think we're the best in the area.

I arrived at the airport and checked out Hollywood Boulevard. It was really cool, totally different than Philly. I ate at In & Out Burger for the first time. I have to say, the burger was amazing. Not sure if you've seen me lately, but I can definitely put away a burger or three. And some fries too.

Here's what impressed me about USC. The guys get amped. I was sitting there in the kickoff meeting and you're immediately struck by the fact that this isn't a typical team. The meeting, simply, is out of control. The guys are completely off the wall. Then, during the team dinner, they get really subdued and quiet. Focus, absolute focus. It showed to me discipline and where there mind is at. The Trojans are all about business.

The game was cool and the facilities are definitely impressive. I enjoyed taking it all in and was mentally taking notes. The crowd was different than at Florida, more chill and laid back, subdued. That's not how I would describe the team, though.

I had a few opportunities to meet with coach Pete Carroll, once before the game and than Sunday morning, prior to my departure. That last meeting was really chill as we had breakfast on the beach. We spent some time just talking, and we didn't talk football that much. We walked around for a bit after breakfast, just taking in the scene along the pier.

I found out that he's a great man and I enjoyed just being able to see him as a person and not the coach on the sidelines. I liked being able to talk with him about life.

It's been a crazy few weeks. It's exciting, but these official visits are a lot of work.

Until next time ... hopefully I can get a bull's-eye soon.