Sting Factor: Camren McDonald from USC

Every time a major program loses a key recruit, Rivals.com takes a look at how big of a blow it is to the respective school, analyzing it from a local, regional and national level. To quantify the “sting” of each decommitment, we assign a score from 1-10, with one being no big deal and 10 being a catastrophic hit.

MORE STING FACTORS: Jarrett Bell (Alabama) | Jarren Williams (Kentucky) | Marquez Ezzard (FSU) | Cade Mays (Tennessee) | Brendan Radley-Hiles (Nebraska)

USC lost a commitment from longtime tight end commitment Camren McDonald this weekend, with the prospect saying he was looking for a better fit offensively at the next level. The versatile playmaker had recently taken visits to Nebraska and Texas A&M and talked openly about other visits as well, so the news didn’t exactly come as a surprise to USC fans. Nevertheless, the loss of a prospect of his talents is noteworthy. We ask our experts to weigh in on just how much losing him stings and also take a look at which schools might benefit going forward.

“It hurts to lose Camren McDonald because he's an impressive athlete at the tight end position. He could probably even play wide receiver in college with his skills. It looks like if he gains some weight, he could be a very special player at tight end. USC was even pitching him on a flex tight end position, something the staff rarely does in its offense. That being said, losing McDonald isn't the biggest blow to USC's class. It seems like this will be a smaller signing class and other positions are a much bigger priority at the moment. USC also has some young and talented tight ends on the roster already. Remember, the Trojans took two tight ends in 2017.

"There's also the more recent issue of losing Cary Angeline. That changed the makeup of USC's depth chart and might have changed the staff's approach to the position in 2018. USC recently offered a scholarship to Arizona Western College tight end Dominick Anderson, even before McDonald backed off his commitment. A junior college tight end would be a more adequate replacement for USC's loss of Angeline as Angeline is two classes ahead of McDonald.

"So I think the loss of McDonald only stings if the Trojans don't address his position in this class. If the staff doesn't take a tight end, USC may have lost out on one of the best tight ends on the West Coast. But since tight end feels like a bit of an afterthought for the Trojans in 2018, and since the loss of Angeline makes older tight ends a bigger priority for USC, it might all be OK. McDonald's decision to back away from USC might not end up stinging too harshly for the Men of Troy at all.” – Swanson

Sting Factor: 2

"McDonald had been committed for months and he's a Long Beach (Calif.) Poly standout which usually means he'll end up at USC. The four-star is best utilized as a split-out, pass-catching tight end. His decommitment is a loss for USC's recruiting class but the Trojans should have plenty of other options moving forward and so it's not a complete blow to this recruiting class. McDonald is very talented and could be a nice weapon but the Trojans hardly ever lack for playmakers." – Gorney

Sting factor: 5

“I’ll give this a six because he’s an athletic pass-catching tight end, he comes from a good program and it’s not always easy to find those guys. However, it’s not a critical loss because there is so much talent in USC’s recruiting areas and the Trojans should be able to find a suitable replacement and possibly a better one in future classes.” – Farrell

Sting Factor: 6

McDonald clearly enjoyed himself on his visits to Nebraska and Texas A&M but both schools might be in the market for a new coach by the time the month is up. That uncertainty could benefit some other programs who are trying to get McDonald on campus, including Oregon. It might also help the Trojans get him back into the fold if the school elects to keep recruiting him.