LOS ANGELES — USC lost some recruits Pete Carroll expected to secure. It landed some he feared might get away.

At the end of 2009's national signing day, Carroll liked the net results — another class ranked among the best in the nation.

"You never get all the guys you want," Carroll said. "But we know we had a great class."

The headliner is Mater Dei quarterback Matt Barkley, whom some rate as the top prospect in the nation. He enrolled last month and was almost an afterthought Wednesday amid all the hoopla of the comings and goings.

USC recovered from the loss of Hawaii linebacker Manti Te'o (to Notre Dame) and the decommitment of Corona linebacker Vontaze Burfict (to Arizona State) by getting two out-of-state substitutes: Jarvis Jones of Columbus, Ga., and Frankie Telfort of Miami.

USC also lost a couple of battles to UCLA, where offensive lineman Xavier Su'a-Filo of Utah and cornerback-receiver Randall Carroll of Los Angeles ended up signing.

But USC still ended the day with nine of ESPN's top 114 prospects and eight of Rivals' top 100.

Te'o, Burfict and Su'a Filo each had potential downsides. Te'o and Su'a-Filo have said they plan to go on LDS missions after their freshman seasons. Burfict reportedly would have had trouble qualifying academically.

"You miss on Vontaze Burfict, you miss on Manti Te'o, but Pete always has a backup plan," said Greg Biggins, recruiting director for ESPN RISE.

"There's a drop (in talent). But saying that, Jones is a top-10 guy (at his position), and so is Telfort. Jones was wanted by every school in the country.

"I'm not going to say it's a blessing in disguise, but I think they rebounded really well."

Pete Carroll emphasized more than once that many of this year's recruits would get a chance to play immediately, especially the linebackers and pass rushers. USC lost several players at those positions, with three projected for the first round of the NFL draft. But Carroll also made the point to debunk the theory that he has too many good players, leaving minimal opportunities for meaningful snaps.

"There's so much that other schools will talk about, and it's basically about the competition,"

Carroll said. "The kids that come (to USC) are the kids that are ready and can't wait. They're the kids that aren't worried about who else is playing at their spot.

"You can hear it. You can hear them talk. They don't even worry because they know they're going to play. And they do.

"I think it amazes people that kids play so early here."

Will Barkley be among them? By enrolling early and participating in spring practice, he will have a shot, albeit a long one, to become Mark Sanchez's successor. Redshirt sophomore Aaron Corp and junior transfer Mitch Mustain are the favorites.

"It's all you can hope for in this situation," Carroll said of Barkley's early enrollment. "He is here, ready to take advantage.

"Matt's going to get a great look. That'll put the heat on the other guys."

NOTE

The NCAA granted senior defensive back Josh Pinkard a sixth year of eligibility, Carroll said.

Pinkard missed most of the 2006 and '07 seasons because of knee injuries.