Recruiting Snapshot: USC Trojans
While most of college football has been put on hold, recruiting marches on. The class of 2021 has seen a wave of commitments since the start of April, and the team rankings have adjusted to reflect growing classes. We are taking a snapshot of each class in the Rivals Team Rankings and continue with the USC Trojans.
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CLASS OF 2021 RANKINGS: Rivals250 | Position | Team | State
CLASS OF 2022: Top 100
USC
Current rank: No. 7
Number of commits: 10
Top commits: Four-star WR Quay Davis (No. 21), four-star QB Jake Garcia (No. 23), four-star ATH Anthony Beavers (No. 171), four-star RB Brandon Campbell (No. 200).
Top targets: Five-star DE Korey Foreman (No. 1), four-star WR Troy Franklin (No. 22), four-star LB Raesjon Davis (No. 48), four-star CB Jaylin Davies (No. 70), four-star QB Miller Moss (No. 90).
LOCAL REACTION
"Fortunately, USC has addressed many of its major areas of need so far, landing commitments from Garcia at QB, Campbell at RB, three talented safeties in Beavers, four-star Calen Bullock and three-star Xamarion Gordon, and two offensive linemen they're very high on in three-stars Maximus Gibbs and Mason Murphy. The major position groups of need now are cornerback -- with Davies and fellow four-stars Denzel Burke and Ceyair Wright and three-star Jaylin Smith among the top targets -- and linebacker, with four-stars Julien Simon and Ethan Calvert the top targets there. The Trojans signed no players at either position in the 2020 class and need to restock the depth chart. But, of course, the biggest potential difference-maker in this class for USC is Foreman, their top target at any position who recently decommitted from Clemson and for whom the Trojans make a lot of sense. Landing Foreman in this class on top of an already strong foundation -- and with some notable CB/LB commitments -- would reflect a true recruiting turnaround for Clay Helton and his staff. Beyond that, the Trojans would like to further bolster some key areas and remain hopeful of landing Moss as a second highly-ranked QB to address a razor-thin QB depth chart, four-star OT Bram Walden to add to the OL haul, three-star RB Byron Cardwell to join Campbell in the backfield and some more high-end WRs to pair with Davis." - Ryan Young, TrojanSports.com
NATIONAL REACTION
"When USC held its elite junior day earlier this offseason, they not only had a ton of top recruits on campus but many of them said they felt an entirely new - and welcomed - approach from the coaching staff. By that time, some new assistants were in place but not the entire staff and since that time USC’s recruiting efforts have only gotten better. Pulling some elite prospects from Southern California is no surprise for the Trojans as four-star quarterback Jake Garcia, four-star linebacker Ma’a Gaoteote and four-star DT Jay Toia committed early.
"The job USC’s staff has done recently, and especially through the coronavirus pandemic, has been nothing short of extraordinary especially since many of those prospects were not able to visit over the last couple months. Four-star receiver Quaydarius Davis is outstanding. Four-star defensive backs Xamarion Gordon and Calen Bullock have length, athleticism and playmaking ability. On and on it goes with the recent USC pledges.
"Last recruiting cycle, USC finished dead last in the Pac-12 team recruiting rankings. That’s hard to comprehend. Oregon has won the last two conference recruiting championships. But USC is recruiting really well again, there seems to be a new spirit on the coaching staff and if this pace continues over the next few months, USC could finish with one of the better classes nationally." - Adam Gorney, National/West recruiting analyst