Schwab

SAN MARCO, Calif. — Pete Carroll left Southern California and Brice Schwab isn't going there.

Schwab, a 2008 Moniteau graduate, decommitted from USC shortly after the Trojans coach committed to the Seattle Seahawks of the NFL.

The 6-foot-8, 340-pound Schwab enrolled at Arizona State Friday, ending a whirlwind of calls and visits from Division I coaches.

"It got pretty crazy," Schwab admitted. "Once Coach Carroll left, I didn't have much time to review my options. I had to be enrolled by (Friday) to be eligible for spring football.

"There was no time to visit campuses, so coaches came to me. Rick Neuheisel from UCLA visited, Bob Stoops from Oklahoma, Jimbo Fisher from Florida State and a few others."

Schwab has played offensive tackle for Palomar (Calif.) Junior College, a highly respected football program, the past two seasons. He committed to USC last April and figured to contend for a starting position with the Trojans next fall.

USC was graduating five starting offensive linemen. But when Carroll left, incoming USC recruits had the option of looking elsewhere.

"I was on a plane heading to Los Angeles to get enrolled at USC when the news broke that Coach Carroll was leaving," Schwab said. "I was shocked. I wasn't sure what to do.

"Lane Kiffin called me when he was hired at USC and expressed interest in me. He had recruited me when he was at Tennessee, too. But our conversations and phone messages became hit and miss, and I wasn't sure how badly he wanted me."

Once Schwab visited Arizona State and met Sun Devils coach Dennis Erickson, he was sold.

"I'm pretty convinced I'll be starting there next year," Schwab said. "I'm walking into a good situation there."

Arizona State is coming off a 4-8 season in which the Sun Devils lost their last six games.

Palomar finished 10-3 in 2009 and was 8-3 the previous season. Schwab decided to go there after high school when his grades and SAT scores weren't good enough to get him into a Division I school at that point.

"I remember talking to Brice in my office, telling him he has something going for him that not many others have and that's 6-8, 340," Moniteau coach Jeff Campbell said. "He could have a great football career, but he was going to have to work for it."

Campbell said Oklahoma's defensive line coach called him the other day "asking me to convince Brice to go there.

"The guy had no idea where Moniteau High School was and he wasn't familiar with Brice's background," Campbell said. "That surprised me because Brice's name is all over the Internet as one of the top junior college prospects in the country."

Campbell isn't surprised Schwab has become such a sought-after lineman.

"His senior year was James Shope's sophomore season," the coach said. "Brice's blocking ability changed the direction we ran the ball. He could collapse the entire side of a defensive line."