It's a good thing that Kalil has the bloodlines and talent to be regarded as one of the premier centers in college football. He is known to be constantly singing Frank Sinatra songs in the locker room and huddle. Based on his teammates' impressions of this amateur crooner, it is safe to say Kalil won't be seen on American Idol anytime soon. Fortunately, based on his performances as the anchor of the Trojans' offensive line the past three years, he'll be doing battle with NFL defensive tackles for years to come.

He is a legacy, of sorts, at the center position. His father, Frank, was also a center at Arkansas (1978) and Arizona (1980-81-82), then was drafted by the Buffalo Bills in 1982 before playing for the USFL's Arizona Wranglers in 1983 and Houston Gamblers in 1984.

"I started playing football to follow in my dad's footsteps," Ryan Kalil said. "Now, having my dad play the same position has been great. He knows the tricks of the trade and it's easy to pass them on to me."

His father recently passed on these thoughts about his son, "He's the type of kid you dream of having. He's a throwback. He doesn't drink or smoke. And I'd always hear him playing Sinatra in his bedroom. He wasn't the biggest lineman in high school, but he had those size-16 feet. So I figured he'd either grow into his body and get big, or else he'd join the circus."

Former USC offensive line coach Tim Davis calls Kalil one of his finest students: "Centers are like quarterbacks -- hard to find. They have to be so intelligent and so competitive. Ryan's got great technique, great feet and he won't allow himself to get beat."

Kalil was a 2002 PrepStar All-American, SuperPrep All-Farwest, PrepStar All-West, Tom Lemming All-West, Long Beach Press-Telegram Best of the Rest, Tacoma News Tribune Western 100 and Cal-Hi Sports all-state honorable mention as a center and long snapper at Servite High School. He added All-CIF Southern Section first-team, CIF Division I first-team and Orange County Register All-Orange County second-team honors that year. During his last two seasons as a starter, Kalil did not allow any quarterback sacks.

Kalil enrolled at Southern California in 2003, seeing six games (Hawaii, Arizona State, Notre Dame, Arizona, UCLA and Oregon State) of action, backing up Norm Katnik at center. Thrust into the starting lineup in 2004, he was the recipient of the team's Courage Award, as he collected 51 knockdowns and made six touchdown-resulting blocks for an offense that averaged 449.1 yards per game.

Kalil earned second-team All-American honors from The NFL Draft Report, College Football News and Sports Illustrated in 2005. He added first-team All-Pac 10 Conference honors and won the team's Bob Chandler Award (given to the underclassman with outstanding athletic ability, academic achievement and character). He helped the offense average 579.8 yards per game, as he registered 78 knockdowns and led the blockers with 16 touchdown-resulting blocks. He also began a string of not allowing a quarterback sack or pressure in his final 26 games.

In 2006, Kalil was a first-team All-American pick by The NFL Draft Report and Pro Football Weekly, adding second-team accolades from The Associated Press, Walter Camp and The Sporting News. He added unanimous All-Pac 10 Conference first-team honors and won the Morris Trophy, given to the league's top offensive lineman, as voted by the Pac-10's defensive linemen. He was a finalist for the Rimington Trophy (nation's top center), was named USC's Most Inspirational Player and was a co-recipient of the team's Offensive Lineman of the Year Award.

Positives: Has just adequate muscle definition, but is naturally strong with very good lateral agility and the short-area burst to generate movement off the snap and get into the second level blocks … Has room on his frame to add at least another 20 pounds of bulk with no drop-off in quickness … Builds his acceleration nicely and runs with a normal stride, body control and good balance … Has the loose hips to work his way down the line and does a very good job of locking on and controlling defenders working in space … Is a smart, instinctive type who is quick to pick up twists and games … Colorful character who likes to keep his teammates loose … Has a quick hand punch to shock a lethargic defender and while he can use more leg strength to drive his man off the ball, he has good hand placement to pull, jerk and drag down … Unquestioned team leader who will not hesitate to get vocal when the need arises … Quick to adjust to the blitz and has a smooth kick slide in pass protection … Shows very quick hand-snap action and can handle long-snapping chores … Gains advantage most of the time due to his burst coming off the ball … Does a consistent job of getting his hand on the defender … Has enough force behind his punch to impede the defender's forward charge … Quick to gain position setting up in pass protection, displaying the body control to sustain … Does a good job of walling off and shows good desire to control the action in the middle, using his hands effectively to widen the rush lane … Even when he is mismatched (size issues), he will get movement off the ball, as he is consistent at taking proper angles … Usually gets a good surge due to his explosion, and is light on his feet to pull and run down the line … Effective when asked to impact on the edge, consistently turning and sealing … Gets into the second level with good urgency and looks up other people after neutralizing his man … Has the agility and quickness to move or cut off … Lacks ideal bulk, but has a good pass set and punch to stop the pass rushers frequently … Shows good hand technique and hits with authority … Can sink his hips and stay square with good recovery quickness … Knows how to grab and control defenders … Can readily adjust on the move and uses his lateral agility to make the reach block … Can shuffle and slide his feet with good base and is alert to movement and over-arm action.

Negatives: Because of a lack of size and bulk, he needs to keep his hands active in order to gain movement … Needs to improve his lower body strength to prevent the mammoth nose guards from walking him back into the pocket … Very quick to get into the second level, but sometimes gets out of control in his pursuit and gets washed out on the play … On the move, he sometimes gets his hands too far outside his frame and will whiff on a few blocks … Vulnerable to the bull rush, but knows angles and sticks to his blocks.

Compares To: Tom Nalen of the Denver Broncos … Outside of Nalen, few centers get their jerseys as dirty as Kalil does … Kalil is a tough-as-nails blocker who compensates for size limitations with very good hand placement, a strong punch and quickness off the snap … He gets movement with his ability to take angles and shows good alertness on pulls and traps … He keeps his hands active to handle multiple defenders and his body control, balance and vision lets him consistently neutralize second-level defenders … He is susceptible to a strong bull rush from a nose guard, causing him to walk back in the pocket, but he has an array of moves and is a solid enough technician to make the game a long afternoon for his opponent.

He was named a 2002 PrepStar All-American, SuperPrep All-Farwest, PrepStar All-West, Tom Lemming All-West, Long Beach Press-Telegram Best of the Rest, Tacoma News Tribune Western 100, Cal-Hi Sports All-State honorable mention, All-CIF Southern Section first team, CIF Division I first team and Orange County Register All-Orange County second team selection as a senior offensive lineman at Servite High in Anaheim (Calif.) … He also started as a 2001 junior … He did not allow a sack in 2001 or 2002 … He also was a long snapper.

He's a sociology major at USC … His father, Frank, was a center at Arkansas (1978) and Arizona (1980-81-82), then was drafted by the Buffalo Bills in 1982 before playing for the USFL's Arizona Wranglers in 1983 and Houston Gamblers in 1984 … He likes to sing, particularly Frank Sinatra tunes.