Consider that USC is peppering local players -- the cream of the crop -- with visits lately. A month ago, Pete Carroll visited Aloha Stadium to watch prime prospect Manti Te‘o. Two weeks ago, a USC assistant made his way to Leilehua to watch Andrew Manley throw for 352 yards and three touchdowns against Waianae.

Manley is just a junior, so there's a big window of opportunity there both for him and recruiters.

Te‘o, though, is the top linebacker in the nation. His senior year has been glorious. A long-awaited ILH championship. A trip to the state tourney, where Punahou lost three years ago in the finals against Kahuku.

Manti's final five are BYU, Notre Dame, Stanford, UCLA and USC.

So tell me, is this eerie (or goofy) enough?

Manti is at South Bend, Indiana this weekend, making his official visit to Notre Dame. It's frigid there. The Irish just lost to Syracuse 24-23. They could really use Manti's help.

In the final minute, the visiting Orange scored a touchdown to take the lead. NBC's sideline camera panned to the celebration near Syracuse's bench. Directly in front of the camera, a Syracuse player with his last name emblazoned: "PROVO".

Has Manti gone all the way to Notre Dame to learn that his destiny is already sealed -- that his future is in Provo, Utah, home of BYU? Coming from an LDS family, it's a big deal. Huge.

Or will he lean toward USC, the nation's glitziest team? It's hard to ignore the visits by USC's coaches. Flying 3,000 miles to say 'Hi' or just make their presence known, that means something to every high school player.

There's no way, however, to really offer what UCLA has. Manti would have a chance to room with current teammates Dalton Hilliard and Robby Toma, who have both already given the Bruins their verbal commitments.

Rumor is that Kahuku safety Aulola Tonga may also get an offer. If that's true, the bond gets even thicker. Toma and Tonga are next-door neighbors of Manti on Naupaka Street in pristine Laie Point.

Can Notre Dame, BYU and USC compete with the possibility of three Naupaka Street boys rooming together at UCLA? Hilliard, who has done his share of diving off the 30-foot cliff at Laie Point, is practically a hanai Naupaka Street brother.

Stay tuned.

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