USC makes its presence felt on first day of 2022 contact
September 1 marked the first day college coaches could initiate correspondence between themselves and the recruiting class of 2022 and USC coaches, as expected, were on top of it.
And with that, the 2022 recruiting class is officially off and running.
While coaches could answer calls initiated by class of 2022 prospects, Tuesday marked the first day coaches could text them or send direct messages. While not the case 100% of the time, often this will deepen relationships and speed the process up a little bit by showing which schools are truly recruiting a prospect and which have only extended a previous offer but aren't pushing as hard as others. USC coaches also took the opportunity to extend a couple new offers in the class.
It also gave USC's video and graphics teams a chance to show off a bit, as social media edits could be sent out to those 2022 targets.
For USC, the top target in the 2022 class might wind up being cornerback Domani Jackson (Santa Ana, Calif./Mater Dei) a five-star defensive back who will get consideration as a top-five player in this class and a top-two cornerback prospect. So it was no surprise that he was one of the targets for the Trojans on Tuesday.
USC's video sent out to recruits features Los Angeles and Reggie Bush prominently. A number of 2022 targets received this, including linebacker Taariq Al-Uqdah (Inglewood, Calif./Inglewood).
Just like former USC defensive line coach Ed Orgeron before him, current defensive line coach Vic So'oto talks about his love for recruiting. Officially, the ability to send messages began just after midnight on Tuesday morning, and So'oto was ready with a message for three-star defensive tackle target Eston Harris Jr. (Opelika, Ala./Beauregard).
USC has just one commitment in the 2022 class so far, but it's a big one, as linebacker Niuafe Tuihalamaka (Mission Hills, Calif./Alemany) is the No. 63 overall prospect and a top-10 player in the state.
That graphic was shared by plenty of targets, including some of the elite players USC is going to chase in the 2022 class--No. 8 overall, cornerback Will Johnson (Grosse Pointe, Mich./Grosse Pointe South), No. 96 overall, tight end Donovan Green (Dickinson, Tex./Dickinson), and top-50 prospect, defensive end Mykel Williams (Columbus, Ga./Hardaway).
Williams’ high school teammate is three-star USC cornerback target JQ Hardaway, who will be targeted by USC cornerbacks coach Donte Williams.
Closer to home, USC will chase Dejon Roney (Rancho Cucamonga, Calif./Etiwanda), a four-star defensive tackle who checks in at 6-foot-4, 295 pounds.
Offensive linemen were targeted on Tuesday as well, as Aliou Bah (Memphis, Tenn./Whitehaven) was the recipient of USC's "Take Back the West" refrain.
And four-star offensive guard George Maile (South Jordan, Utah/Bingham) and his family--including his USC-grad mother--received stats on the Trojans' success in producing offensive linemen.
The Trojans also extended offers on Tuesday, including one to a 2022 quarterback in Devin Brown (Queen Creek, Ariz./Queen Creek). USC has plenty of quarterback options locally, but Brown joins Nicco Marchiol (Chandler, Ariz./Hamilton) as Arizona quarterbacks now with USC offers. Brown is Wisconsin's top target at the position, while Marchiol is seen at this point as a Florida State lean.
USC also continues to chase after elite defensive linemen in this 2022 class. The Trojans joined the race for Dani Dennis-Sutton (Owings Mills, Md./McDonogh School) on Tuesday. Dennis-Sutton is the nation's No. 50 overall prospect and No. 3 defensive end.
USC has now offered the top three prospects in Maryland for the 2022 class, as So'oto continues to recruit that area. USC went hard after a number of prospects in the DMV area, as So'oto attempts to keep his relationships strong there after building them during his time at Virginia. The Trojans hold a commitment from defensive end Colin Mobley (Hyattsville, Md./DeMatha Catholic) in the 2021 class and will continue to at least test the waters out there with other top prospects.
