St. Bonaventure High senior lineman Giovanni DiPoalo signed his letter of intent to play football at USC this morning.

 DiPoalo had verbally committed to USC, but re-opened his recruitment after Pete Carroll left USC to take the head coaching job with the NFL's Seattle Seahawks.

But new USC coach Lane Kiffin and his staff were able to do enough to convince DiPoalo the Trojan family was the best place for him to be.

DiPoalo was considering heading across town to UCLA, but will be donning a cardinal red and gold uniform after all.

Six area football players have made the MaxPreps 2009 Preseason All-State team.

As the football season gets under way on Friday with week zero games, here is a look at some of the area players on the national radar. Many of the names are very familiar. First we will look at who Rivals ranks as among the top 250 prospects in the nation:

- No. 70 - Malcolm Jones, Oaks Christian, ATH, 6-1, 210. College: Undecided (finalists are Stanford and UCLA)

What they said: "Scouting Report: He could project as a big back or speedy outside 'backer at the next level. He is not afraid to lower the boom as a ballcarrier or a defender. Jones, like Lattimore, can really wear out a defense in the second half, leaving many hands on hips. Look for him to lead his school to a state championship in the fall."

- No. 192, Giovanni Di Poalo, St. Bonaventure, OL, 6-4, 260. College: USC

What they said: "Has help lead team to back-to-back CIF state titles."

- No. 193, Erik Kohler, Oaks Christian, OL, 6-4, 264. College: Washington

What they said: "Kohler played baseball before making football his primary sport."