FanHouse ChrisGalippo

Rey-Rey Maualuga is going to have to find a new backup, as the USC linebacking corps has suffered its first major setback of the 2008 season.

USC redshirt freshman linebacker Chris Galippo has played nary a snap for the Men of Troy but he is going under the knife for the second time since joining the team.

The Los Angeles Daily News reports that the high school All-American underwent back surgery for the second time in nine months yesterday and will miss part of the 2008 season.

According to head coach Pete Carroll, "It's very similar to the surgery he had before but on a different disc."

Galippo was slated to back up Rey Maualuga at middle linebacker, but will relenquich those duties for at least the start of the season.

Per the request of our fine editors at AOL corporate, us NCAA Football types at the FanHouse were asked to list 2007 "impact recruits". Seeing as how National Letter of Intent Day (aka Signing Day) is tomorrow, this request is timely.

What defines impact? A John Madden-like BOOM ? Nahhh.

The instructions from our bosses are intentionally vague which I like. So what follows are the first five of ten impact recruits. My main criteria is to name players people will be talking about. So while some recruits may be better or more interesting, these are ten guys who will get noticed.

• John Chiles, Athlete (Texas) - Chiles played quarterback, running back ... pretty much everything in high school. He's fast, has ball skills and makes plays. Colt McCoy probably has the quarterback position locked down for a few years so look for the Texas staff to creatively find ways to get the ball in his hands. Video.

• Chris Galippo, Linebacker (USC) - Galippo was last seen making somewhere in the neighborhood of 12 tackles at the US Army High School All America game in January. He's already college size (6'-3"/235 pounds) with speed and the ability to play inside, outside or even defensive end. Oozes leadership as he doggedly helped recruit several future teammates. Video.

• Ryan Miller, Offensive Tackle (Colorado) - Had offers from literally everyone of significance, but chose the hometown Buffaloes. Should be able to make an Andre Smith-like impact on an otherwise modestly talented Colorado line.

• Terrance Toliver, Wide Receiver (LSU or Florida) - Toliver is expected to be the next great "big and athletic" receiver in the mold of Dwayne Jarrett and Charles Rogers. Runs fast, has a big body, can make plays in the air, he can do a lot of things and should have a fantastic college career. Video.

• Willy Korn, Quarterback (Clemson) - Korn saw his stock drop a bit over the course of the fall but he's got a chance to start next year for Clemson. Korn can scramble as well as throw the ball. With Clemson's tremendous backfield his burden will be lightened. Could be leading one of the country's best offenses from the word go. People will definitely be talking about him if he wins the job and plays well early. Video.

Coming up: Impact National Recruits Part II

For the uninitiated, the 'Best in the West' is an annual publication of the Long Beach Press-Telegram. It is a list of the west's top high school football players, as voted on by a panel of recruitniks. It used to be a lot more prestigious but still carries weight. To be eligible, players must be from Arizona, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Idaho, New Mexico, Nevada, Oregon, Utah or Washington.

Atop the list is Arizona defensive end Everson Griffen. If you saw the US Army High School All America game you know what this kid can do. He's ridiculously fast and is headed to USC.

After Griffen are national names like Jimmy Clausen (quarterback headed to Notre Dame), Chris Galippo (LB-USC), Marc Tyler (RB/LB-USC), Donovan Warren (CB-Undecided), Kris O'Dowd (OL-USC), Ryan Miller (OT-Colorado), Brian Price (DT-UCLA) and Aaron Corp (QB-USC).

You can see the full list after the jump.

The BIW is notable because it's a reasonable assessment of elite talent coming out of western high schools. As they note in the release:

Out of all 746 BIW players, 52 have been drafted in the first round by an NFL franchise. When Cincinnati chose Carson Palmer in the 2003 draft, he joined John Elway as the only two Best in the West players selected with the first overall pick.