Signs point to USC flipping offensive lineman decommit from Auburn

This would be huge for Josh Henson and USC.

Carde Smith, a 6-foot-6, 300-pound four-star offensive tackle from Mobile, Alabama, has decommitted from in-state school Auburn. Smith was scheduled for an official visit to Mississippi State in Starkville, but he cancelled to attend the final summer recruiting weekend at USC. Smith had glowing comments about USC after his official visit last weekend.

The offensive line coach at USC, Josh Henson, has been under pressure from fans to land more highly rated prospects as graded by the recruiting services. This would certainly qualify if Henson can close the deal.

Fans should be reminded that the position that this would be a Henson’s fourth four star signee in as many years (Elijah Page and Micah Banuelos in 2022 and Jason Zandamela in 2023)

Despite securing early commitments from standout defensive prospects Justus Terry and Isaiah Gibson, USC defensive line coach Eric Henderson faced setbacks as both players eventually decommitted and were swayed by SEC schools. On the offensive line front, Henson initially gained commitments from top-tier prospects, as reported by national recruiting sites. However, these commitments did not materialize, with players like Manasse Itete changing their decisions before signing and Jason Zandamela transferring after signing day.

Those fans should be reminded that recruiting rankings are far from an empirical science, and one position that is missed often is offensive line when projections on growth potential can me missed.  USC has players like Tobias Raymond who are the perfect example of what one year with Rachel Suba, the Director of Sports Nutrition and Bennie Wylie, USC’s Strength and Conditioning Coach can do.  Sometimes it comes down to if that player has that “dawg” in them.  Grossly underrated players like Alani Noa, Makai Saina and Hayden Treter play with strength and a nasty streak to close out plays that are often missed by these rankings.

As the fully funded NIL program at USC irons out the last wrinkles, the team is building depth on both offensive and defensive lines, a weakness that existed when Lincoln Riley arrived. Fans can expect USC to win more recruiting battles in the future as a result of this program. Additionally, the media and fans may be surprised by how undervalued some of the Trojan linemen were by recruiting services.

Getting Smith, if Henson can finish the job, would be a highly important and encouraging moment for USC football fans who are interested in star rankings, given the acute need for Henson to improve both on and off the field in 2024.

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