USC lands in top 10 for 2022 4-star defensive back
USC has made the first cut for 2022 defensive back Isaac Thompson (St. Louis, Mo./St. Louis University), as the four-star corner announced his top ten schools on Tuesday.
Arkansas, Florida, Georgetown, LSU, Michigan, Missouri, Ole Miss, Penn State, Texas and USC all made the cut for the nation’s No. 150 overall prospect and No. 18 cornerback.
Thompson has some college football connections, as his brother is an offensive lineman at Georgetown and his father, Hickey Thompson, played running back at Michigan State.
Interestingly, Michigan State–which has offered Thompson–did not make the top 10 list, while Michigan did. Ohio State isn’t in the mix to grab another St. Louis standout away from USC, but at this point, Florida, Michigan, Missouri and Penn State are all seen as the biggest threats for Thompson, though USC will again try to reel in a top prospect from St. Louis.
The Trojans tried in the 2020 class with wide receiver Mookie Cooper and in the 2021 class with cornerback Jakailin Johnson (St. Louis/DeSmet). Cooper signed with Ohio State and Johnson is committed to the Buckeyes. USC’s last St. Louis signee was defensive tackle Trevor Trout, who joined the Trojans in the 2018 class as the No. 5 player in the state of Missouri.
USC cornerbacks coach Donte Williams hasn’t been shy about going after the top talent in the country at that position. USC holds commitments in the 2021 class from four-star cornerbacks Jaylin Smith (Mission Hills, Calif./Alemany) and Prophet Brown (Elk Grove, Calif./Monterey Trail), on the heels of not signing a single defensive back in the 2020 class.
The Trojans have offered 11 of the uncommitted cornerbacks among the top 20 nationally at the position, as Thompson is included in a group featuring five-stars Domani Jackson (Santa Ana, Calif./Mater Dei), William Johnson (Grosse Point, Mich./Grosse Point South), Jaheim Singletary (Jacksonville, Fla./Robert E. Lee) and Denver Harris (Houston/North Shore), and four-stars Austin Jordan (Denton, Tex./Ryan), Jaeden Gould (Oradell, NJ/Bergen Catholic), Earl Little Jr. (Ft. Lauderdale, Fla./American Heritage), Fabian Ross (Las Vegas/Bishop Gorman), Jaylon Guilbeau (Port Arthur, Tex./Memorial) and Julian Humphrey (Houston/Clear Lake).
Jackson will assuredly be the top target on the board at the position, though a Clemson offer has made the Tigers a real contender for the nation’s No. 4 overall prospect. In-state prospect Jaden Mickey (Corona, Calif./Centennial) also holds a USC offer.
