All of the USC-related tidbits coming out of the first day of practice for the West squad at the U.S. Army All-American Bowl in San Antonio, Texas:

Juarez eliminates USC from consideration

ESPN 300 linebacker Mique Juarez (Torrance, Calif./North), who decommitted from the Trojans in October, revealed following practice that he has now eliminated the Trojans from consideration altogether

“I narrowed it down to UCLA and Ole Miss,” Juarez said. “I’m just focusing on those two schools.”

Juarez also said that he will no longer consider taking an official visit to USC.

Jones steals the show

The star of Day 1 of practice was ESPN 300 cornerback Jackie Jones. The Long Beach (Calif.) Poly standout was absolutely stellar in coverage, coming up with two interceptions, while getting his hands on three other passes that he probably should have pulled in for interceptions.

Following practice Jones said that he still has the same top 5 that he released in mid-December – Alabama, Oklahoma, Texas A&M, UCLA and USC.

Set to announce on signing day, Jones noted that the Trojans are still right in the mix with the other four schools, despite the fact that his primary contact at USC throughout much of the recruiting process, defensive backs coach Keith Heyward, was recently fired.

Having visited Arizona State and Texas A&M already, Jones said that he will take an official visit to Alabama on the weekend of Jan. 15, with no plans in place to visit any other programs.

If the Trojans hire a new defensive backs coach in the next few weeks, however, a potential unofficial visit to USC is certainly a possibility.

“Most likely I would say so, “Jones said, “because I would want to see how he is as a coach, and see how he is as a person off the field.”

Asiasi says Tagaloa will join him on USC visit

Aside from Jones, the player who probably had the best showing on Monday was Concord (Calif.) De La Salle’s Devin Asiasi. As the only tight end on the West roster, he was targeted throughout practice, and he caught virtually everything thrown his way.

On the recruiting front, Asiasi is down to Alabama, Michigan, UCLA, USC and Washington, with no leader out of the group. He already visited UCLA, and he will visit Washington (Jan. 15), Alabama (Jan. 22) and USC (Jan. 30) in the coming weeks, and he hopes to fit in a potential mid-week visit to Michigan as well.

Set to join Asiasi on his official visit to USC is De La Salle teammate and standout defensive lineman Boss Tagaloa, who received an offer from the Trojans last month.

“Oh, he’s definitely coming on that visit with me,” Asiasi said. “I went with him to UCLA, so he’s definitely coming with me to SC.”

Out-of-state duo confirm visit plans

In addition to Asiasi, a pair of out-of-state ESPN 300 cornerbacks also confirmed that they will take an official visit to USC in Byron Murphy (Scottsdale, Ariz./Saguaro) and Lavert Hill (Detroit, Mich./King). Both players will take those trips on the weekend of Jan. 15.

Murphy, who is also considering Arizona State, Texas A&M and Washington, said that he solidified those plans during a recent discussion with USC linebackers coach Peter Sirmon.

“I always had a feeling for USC, even though Coach Heyward left,” Murphy said. “When I went there for Junior Day I really liked it, so I thought I should go back and see how it is again. I just want to go down there and see if I get a good feeling with the new coaching staff and the players.”

Hill, a one-time Penn State pledge, is still wide-open. In addition to the Trojans, he’s also still considering the Nittany Lions as well as Clemson, Michigan, Michigan State, Miami, Tennessee and UCLA.

His visit to USC will be his first to Los Angeles, and his mother will join him on the trip.

“I talk to Coach Sirmon a lot,” Hill said. “He told me that they want me and that they want me to take an official there, so once I take an official there I just want to look at all they have to offer, and just the atmosphere there, and I just want to have a good time in California.”

Vaughns gearing up for USC, Alabama visits

The Trojans have a trio of wide receiver commits participating in the U.S. Army All-American Bowl in Michael Pittman (Westlake Village, Calif./Oaks Christian), Trevon Sidney (La Puente, Calif./Bishop Amat) and Tyler Vaughns (La Puente, Calif./Bishop Amat). All three wideouts had solid outings on Monday, especially Vaughns.

Vaughns, who committed to the Trojans in August, will take an official visit to USC on the weekend of Jan. 15, but he also has plans to visit Alabama on the weekend of Jan. 22.

Still, Vaughns said that he is firmly committed to USC, and that he remains in constant contact with the Trojans coaching staff. That includes with USC wide receivers coach Tee Martin, whom he spoke to shortly before leaving for San Antonio.

“I’m just exploring my options still,” Vaughns said. “You can never be too sure about anything.”