USC in heated battle with Pac-12 foes for Northern California running back

USC is leaving for the Big Ten, but it still needs to win turf battles in the West such as this one.

Lamar Radcliffe is widely coveted by Pac-12 football programs. The 6-foot-2, 220-pound all-purpose back rushed for over 2,100 yards and 23 scores as a sophomore. The recruit from Sacramento had his career progression derailed by injury in his junior year, but is now fully recovered from an ACL tear.

Radcliffe is currently rated as a three-star prospect by 247Sports with an 88 rating. He checks in as the No. 62 athlete in the class. According to the industry generated composite rating, Radcliffe holds a three-star .8850 rating and checks in at the No. 46 spot in the athlete rankings.

Radcliffe currently holds offers from USC, Washington, Cal, Washington State, San Jose State, and Arizona, but Utah is the favorite to land the California native.

This recruitment is a reminder that even though USC is heading to the Big Ten, and even though 2024 recruits won’t play a single down in the Pac-12, USC still needs to win a reasonable percentage of turf battles against Pac-12 schools, now and in the future. USC has a national recruiting strategy, but it still needs to hold its own in the Western United States.

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