Tag: USC recruiting

USC QB commit Jake Garcia transfers to 4th high school

USC Trojans commit Jake Garcia will transfer out of California to Valdosta, Georgia for his final year of high school football.

Jake Garcia, a class of 2021 commit for the USC Trojans at the quarterback position, is going to play his fourth and final high school season at Valdosta High School in Georgia.

It will be the fourth different high school for Garcia, a native of California who was set to play for his hometown school of La Habra this fall before the COVID-19 situation pushed the season back into January.

“I’m really excited about the decision,” Garcia told 247Sports. “For me, it was big to play as a senior. I need those game reps and this is going to be a big year for me mentally as well in terms of preparing for college. With not just California football shut down but the entire West Coast pretty much, Arizona, Nevada, Washington, etc, I knew I had to leave the region. Like I said, I think senior year is a really important time to learn and get better. This will be big for my development and I felt this was the best move for me to make long term.”

Garcia intends to graduate early and enroll at USC in the spring, making the transfer necessary to avoid missing his final season altogether.

For those worried a high schooler who has moved schools as rapidly as Garcia may waffle on his decision to attend USC, hopefully this will help:

“Yep, I’m still very solid in my commitment,” Garcia said. “The move to Georgia doesn’t change anything. I have communicated with the coaching staff and they supported my decision 110% as it is the best move to prepare me for the next level.”

Garcia is the No. 37 ranked player in the class of 2021 by 247Sports’ composite rankings, and he should compete with Miller Moss to be an impact signal-caller for the Trojans in the near future.

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JuJu Smith-Schuster does his part to help USC with OL recruit

Former USC Trojans receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster participated in a TikTok video from class of 2021 recruit Kingsley Suamataia.

As much as head coach Clay Helton and his staff do everything they can to recruit high-profile high school athletes to come to USC, sometimes they need a little extra help.

For Kingsley Suamataia, the No. 10 offensive tackle recruit in the country according to 247Sports, they managed to get that help from none other than Steelers wide receiver and USC alumni JuJu Smith-Schuster.

Smith-Schuster participated in a viral TikTok video posted by Suamataia for the #BigMenCanDance challenge:

Smith-Schuster shared the video as well, using his now trademarked phrase “It’s litty” and giving him a good-natured “Fight On!”

The Trojans are still behind the Oregon Ducks in recruiting Suamataia’s services, with nearly all major outlets predicting the four-star tackle from Orem (UT) will end up in Eugene.

While the Trojans do have commitments from a pair of three-star linemen in the class of 2021; Maximus Gibbs and Saia Mapakaitolo, they are still on the hunt for a big name piece to add to that class – and Suamataia would be just what the doctor ordered.

Perhaps Smith-Schuster’s magic will help convince the big man to dance his way down to southern California to join the Trojans.

USC recruiting: Trojans extend offer to 4-star OL Collin Sadler

The USC Trojans are continuing to recruit offensive linemen, this time turning to 2022 to offer four-star tackle Collin Sadler.

The USC Trojans have struggled to land high-profile offensive line recruits in the class of 2021, perhaps their only weakness in what will go down as a very successful recruiting period for coach Clay Helton and company.

But while they may struggle initially to replace tackles Austin Jackson and Drew Richmond from last season, they are doing their due diligence to make sure reinforcements are on the way soon.

After striking out on a handful of four-star prospects in the class of 2021, the Trojans appear to be turning their attention to finding impact offensive linemen in the class of 2022, starting with four-star tackle Collin Sadler from Greenville, South Carolina.

Sadler has also picked up offers from Cal, Alabama, South Carolina, Miami, Notre Dame, Arizona State, LSU and Georgia.

The six-foot-six, 295 tackle is coming off an excellent sophomore year, and is ranked No. 181 in the class of 2022 by 247Sports’ composite rankings. That’s good enough to make him the 18th tackle in his class, and the fourth highest ranked prospect in South Carolina.

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USC recruiting: Kingsley Suamataia names Trojans among top-7

The USC Trojans have struggled to pull in offensive line recruits, so the hope now rests with four-star tackle Kingsley Suamataia.

The USC Trojans have done a good job of recruiting all over the gridiron in the class of 2021 – hence why the class is among the top-7 in the country.

However, the Trojans have struggled at one key position: offensive line. They have three new OL joining them in the class of 2021, but all are three-star prospects.

They struck out on a pair of four-stars, Tristan Leigh and Rayshaun Benny, and are now resting their hopes on Orem (Utah) Kingsley Suamataia, who listed the Trojans among his top-7 in a tweet on Saturday evening.

USC is joined by Oregon, Utah, BYU, Utah State, Arkansas and Virginia on Suamataia’s top-seven.

Suamataia is the No. 72 overall prospect in 247Sports’ rankings, coming in at No. 9 among offensive tackles. Their composite rankings have him No. 58 overall, so it’s clear he would be a huge get for the Trojans if they can pry him away from the Ducks – although his relationship with the Sewell family makes it difficult to imagine him going anywhere else.

USC football: Tight end Jack Yary decommits (again) from Trojans

The Trojans will be without class of 2020 tight end Jack Yary, who appears to have left USC to attend the University of Washington.

The Trojans may not get to see class of 2020 tight end Jack Yary, the son of legendary offensive lineman Ron Yary, in a USC uniform after all.

Yary has not been at USC’s voluntary workouts this offseason, and a recently posted Instagram story featuring him in a University of Washington uniform seemingly confirms his decision to leave the team and join a PAC-12 foe.

This news comes shortly after redshirt senior tight end Daniel Imatorbhebhe entered the transfer portal, which is another big hit to USC’s tight end depth in 2020.

Yary was the 10th ranked tight end in the class of 2020 by 247Sports, and one of just four top 400 recruits in his class, making it one of the weakest recruiting classes in USC history.

This isn’t Yary’s first change of heart, as he committed to USC originally in the spring of 2019 – but decommitted in mid-November. After considering UCLA, Washington and Arizona State, he ultimately decided to recommit to the Trojans just before Signing Day.

The loss of Yary could be for a handful of reasons, but coming off the heels of Imatorbhebhe’s transfer, this is a pretty big blow to USC.

Even though tight end is not a huge part of coach Clay Helton’s offense, they are seriously hurting at depth just before the season is set to begin.

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USC Football: Trojans extend offer to Georgia RB commit

The USC Trojans extended an offer to Treyaun Webb, a rising high school sophomore from Florida who committed early to Georgia.

The USC Trojans are one of over 30 teams to offer a scholarship to class of 2023 running back Treyaun Webb, despite his early commitment to the University of Georgia.

Webb announced a verbal commitment to Georgia after his freshman season at Jacksonville (Fla.) Trinity Christian Academy, saying he “decided to find a home early.”

“I am blessed to say that I have found one,” Webb wrote at the time. “My dream school has always been the University of Georgia and they have shown nothing but loyalty throughout this process.”

However, that has not stopped high-profile programs like USC and Oklahoma from bombarding him with offers – which could push him to change his mind.

Webb is being viewed as a running back by USC, based on his decision to tag running backs coach Mike Jinks in his tweet, but some teams – including LSU – view him as a potential defensive back at the next level.

Regardless, Webb’s size and athleticism will make him a top-100 prospect in the class of 2023 when the rankings come out this summer, and he would be an outstanding, albeit unlikely, get for the Trojans.

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USC Football: Trojans make top-10 for 4-star CB Isaac Thompson

The USC Trojans will have plenty of competition for the services of 2022 four-star corner Isaac Thompson after he released his top-10.

The USC Trojans and defensive back coach Donte Williams have been heavily recruiting players for their secondary, and they have now turned their attention to the class of 2022.

Isaac Thompson, a four-star prospect out of St. Louis, announced his top-10 on Tuesday morning, and your Trojans made the list.

Thompson’s listed included USC as well as Georgetown, LSU, Arkansas, Ole Miss, Florida, Missouri, Michigan, Texas and Penn State.

The Trojans made an offer to Thompson back in January. He is considered the No. 150 prospect in the class of 2022, according to 247Sports’ composite rankings, which places him No. 3 in the state of Missouri and No. 18 among cornerbacks.

USC has a ton of great talent joining the team in the secondary in 2021, including Anthony Beavers, Calen Bullock, Xamarion Gordon, Jaylin Smith and, most recently, Prophet Brown.

However, Thompson is an outstanding prospect to have an early eye on, and he could end up being a star in a few years, especially if he comes up behind such an elite class.

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USC recruit Xamarion Gordon to forego senior season

Four-star USC cornerback commit Xamarion Gordon is going to forego his senior season, which was delayed thanks to the COVID-19 crisis.

A recent ruling in the state of California is postponing fall sports until at least December or January, thanks to the COVID-19 pandemic, and that has a lot of college commits facing a tough decision.

They could play out their final season, if and when it happens, or they could opt to forego their final year of high school eligibility, potentially clearing them up to enroll early in college.

Defensive back Xamarion Gordon, a four-star commit in the Class of 2021, already announced he will be a Trojan sooner than expected, saying he plans to forego his senior season on Twitter Tuesday evening.

Most college-bound high schoolers in California have already signed their NLI’s, which likely means Gordon will be one of many who make this decision without fall sports on the dockett.

A guaranteed spot on a college roster is too tempting to risk for a high school season, especially in these conditions, and USC will likely be happy to know that Gordon won’t be in harm’s way before he steps foot on campus ahead of the 2021 season.

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USC football: Trojans land four-star corner Prophet Brown

The USC Trojans landed four-star cornerback Prophet Brown, a 2021 commit who announced his decision Sunday afternoon.

The Trojans got a surprise gift on Sunday afternoon, with four-star cornerback Prophet Brown announcing his commitment a day early, choosing to join USC in 2021.

Brown was choosing between Michigan, Nebraska, Notre Dame, Oklahoma, Oregon and USC, and was expected to make his announcement on Monday afternoon before surprising everyone on Sunday.

Brown was initially ranked among the top running backs in the nation before being switched to cornerback, where he flew up the rankings at No. 126 overall by 247Sports, and the No. 10 corner. He is No. 206 in the composite rankings.

Brown joins Jaylin Smith as top USC cornerback recruits in the Class of 2021, a class that is ranked N. 7 in the nation and No. 2 in the PAC-12 at this point.

The five-foot-eleven, 180 pound corner will need to put on some muscle, but his dynamic athleticism and ball-hawking ability should make him an instant impact performer for the Trojans starting in 2021.

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USC among top-8 for 4-star point guard Frankie Collins

The USC Trojans are a top-8 finalist for four-star point guard Frankie Collins out of Arizona.

The USC Trojans are still on the hunt for their point guard of the future, and another option has popped up.

After making the top-4 for Bishop Gorman guard Zaon Collins earlier in the week, the Trojans are now among the top-8 for another class of 2021 point guard, Frankie Collins out of Arizona.

Collins listed USC alongside Michigan, Kansas, Arizona State, New Mexico, Vanderbilt, Georgetown and Auburn.

The six-foot-one, 180 pound point guard is the No. 58 ranked player, and No. 9 ranked point guard, according to 247Sports composite rankings – although he’s only No. 79 (and No. 10 point guard) in their individual rankings.

Still, he’s a clear four-star guard with good passing ability who has continued to improve his stock. Here’s a note from 247Sports’ evaluation on Collins last year:

He has good size and length for the position, is a high-level passer, plays at his own pace, an improving shooter/scorer especially from midrange and in and also is a plus defender due to his length, feel and quickness. Collins has made major strides as a prospect over the last year.

Kansas is probably the frontrunner here, but for a USC team that does not have a lot of guard depth on the current roster, or in the class of 2020, adding Collins would be a huge boost to this team’s long-term plans.

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