Last Spring, VirginiaPreps.com reported that Mills Godwin running back

Chris Fornataro had been invited to walk-on at The University of Southern California. He was invited because "Tailback U" saw his highlights on Youtube and saw something special in Fornataro. They were willing to give him a chance where almost no one on the East Coast would. No wonder USC is consistently in the top 5 of the AP polls. They get the best recruits in the country, but they are always searching for someone that may have gone unnoticed or underexposed. This year, that player turned out to be Fornataro.

Recently, two blog entries about Fornataro were posted on USC Rips It, a website dedicated to Trojan football. They give an indication of how well Fornataro has acclimated himself to the speed of the game and the talent level he faces on a daily basis.

8-11-2008:

*During tonight's team meeting, the Trojans watched highlights from this afternoon's practice, with walk-on freshman tailback Chris Fornataro's 40 yard touchdown being called the play of the day by Coach Carroll.

8-28-2008:

*As important as this weekend trip is to all traveling players, it probably means the most to walk-on Chris Fornataro. A freshman from Richmond, VA, Fornataro earned a spot on the travel squad for the Trojan's journey to Charlottesville following an impressive Fall Camp and a tireless effort as teh service team tailback this week. 

"This feels great," he said. "I didn't even think I would make the trip, and a lot of other people didn't think so either. This is awesome."

Virginia's Scott Stadium is only 65 miles from Mills Godwin High in Richmond, where Fornataro ran for 1,400 yards and 17 touchdowns as a senior in 2007. The 6-0, 200-pound Fornataro, USC's only freshman tailback this year, said his family and several friends will be attending Saturday's game.

VirginiaPreps.com will be sure to follow the progress of Fornataro and update accordingly.