USC Recruiting Roundup

Another commitment, cornerback intrigue and plenty of offers extended in the 2022 and 2023 classes marked USC's week in recruiting, as the Trojans continued their strong momentum on the recruiting trail.

Another 2021 Commit

USC's 2021 recruiting class added another piece late last week, as three-star defensive end Colin Mobley (Hyattsville, Md./DeMatha Catholic) announced his commitment to the Trojans on Friday afternoon.

Mobley is commitment No. 12 for the Trojans in this class and the second defensive end, as he joins four-star defensive tackle Jay Toia (Simi Valley, Calif./Grace Brethren).

Mobley's commitment is a recruiting win for new defensive line coach Vic So'oto, who formed strong relationships with plenty of East Coast prospects during his time as a coach at Virginia. So'oto offered more than a few of those recruits once he landed at USC, and Mobley is his first commitment.

So'oto might not be done back east, however, as four-star defensive end Aaron Armitage (Blairstown, NJ/Blair Academy) is another top target of the Trojans.

The 6-foot-4, 260-pound Mobley is a nice addition to this class, as he combines great hands with a quick first step and the frame to potentially grow into a defensive tackle. His offer sheet likely gives a better example of his potential at the next level than his three-star rating, as Mobley collected offers from Florida, LSU, Michigan, Notre Dame, Ohio State, Penn State, Stanford and plenty of other programs.

Cornerback Outlook

USC made top lists for a couple of cornerback targets this past week. Local four-star Jaylin Davies (Santa Ana, Calif./Mater Dei) announced his top four schools on Saturday, as Arizona State, Ohio State, Oregon and USC all made the cut.

Four-star athlete Denzel Burke (Scottsdale, Ariz./Saguaro) announced his top group of schools this past week as well, as Colorado, Ohio State, Oregon, USC and Washington remain in the mix.

The Trojans are in the mix for a few cornerbacks at this stage, as four-star prospect Ceyair Wright (Los Angeles/Loyola) is the top defensive back in the state and said his relationship with USC defensive backs coach Donte Williams has been growing stronger recently. USC is also squarely in the mix for four-star athlete Nathaniel Wiggins (Atlanta/Westlake), a 6-foot-2, silky-smooth two-way standout who would play cornerback if he winds up at USC.

Trojans Chasing Texas Tight End

USC has extended offers to several tight ends in this 2021 class and seem intent on landing one. Three senior tight ends are scheduled to leave the roster following this season, so the USC coaches clearly would like to add to the depth behind Ethan Rae, Jude Wolfe and Jack Yary.

USC offered tight end Lake McRee (Austin, Texas/Lake Travis) all the way back in June of last year and has remained in the race despite McRee committing shortly afterward to Texas. McRee opened his recruitment back up earlier this year and will head out of state for college. His final six schools include Auburn, LSU, Penn State, Purdue, USC and Washington.

USC Extends New Offers

USC handed out more than a few offers throughout the week, as prospects in the 2022 and 2023 officially landed on the Trojans' board.

Defensive coordinator and linebackers coach Todd Orlando pulled the trigger on a few 2022 prospects, as outside linebackers Jaylen Snead (Hilton Head Island, SC/Hilton Head) and Lamar Washington (Portland, Ore./Jefferson), and inside linbacker Justin Medlock (Manvel, Texas/Manvel) grabbed USC offers.

Snead is a 6-foot-2, 220-pound, four-star linebacker with plenty of big-name offers already. Alabama, Florida, Florida State, Michigan, Oklahoma, Texas and plenty of others are already in the mix.

Washington, a 6-foot-3, 210-pound linebacker with Pac-12 offers from Cal and Oregon State, is a teammate of USC 2021 defensive line target Nathan Rawlins-Kibonge.

Medlock, a 6-foot-1, 200-pound linebacker and another Texas target for the Trojans. He already holds offers from LSU, Ohio State, Oklahoma, Oregon, Texas and other programs.

USC was active with 2022 offensive linemen as well, as Kiyaunta Goodwin (Louisville, Ky./Ballard), Will Campbell (Monroe, La./Neville) and Tyler Booker (Bradenton, Fla./IMG) all picked up offers.

Goodwin is a massive, 6-foot-6, 370-pound offensive tackle with offers from Alabama, Auburn, Florida, Georgia and others. Campbell is a top-50 prospect in his class and will be a difficult pull out of Louisiana with Alabama, Georgia and LSU already having offered. Booker is the No. 1 offensive tackle in the country, with offers from all the recruiting powers. He landed at IMG after transferring in from New Jersey.

Safety Jaron Willis (Leesburg, Ga./Lee County) also picked up an offer from USC. The 6-foot-2, 210 pounder has offers from Auburn, Florida, Florida State, Tennessee, Virginia Tech, and others.

A trio of offers went out in the 2023 class as well, as linebacker Siale Tuiteelagi Esera (Provo, Utah/Timpview) became the second 2023 prospect at Timpview to grab a USC offer, joining two-way lineman Howie Longi. Esera is a 6-foot-3, 240-pound linebacker/tight end with offers from Michigan, Nebraska, Oregon and Oregon State.

USC also entered the race for 2023 wide receiver Zachariah Branch (Las Vegas/Bishop Gorman). He's the brother of 2022 USC safety target Zion Branch. He already holds offers from Arizona State, Auburn, Georgia, Oklahoma, Penn State, Texas, and others.

An interesting offer went out to 2023 athlete Cole Martin (Chandler, Ariz./Hamilton), the son of former USC graduate assistant Demetrice Martin. Martin has coached defensive backs at Washington, UCLA, Arizona and is now on the staff at Colorado. Florida Atlantic and Nevada offered Martin before he got to high school and Texas offered recently as well. With his father coaching in the Pac-12, that should be an interesting recruitment to follow.

The Class So Far

USC's 2021 recruiting class to this point consists of:

4-star QB Jake Garcia (La Habra, Calif./La Habra)
4-star RB Brandon Campbell (Katy, Texas/Katy)
4-star WR Quay Davis (Dallas/Skyline)
3-star OT Mason Murphy (San Juan Capistrano, Calif./JSerra)
3-star OG Maximus Gibbs (Bellflower, Calif./St. John Bosco)
4-star DT Jay Toia (Simi Valley, Calif./Grace Brethren)
3-star DE Colin Mobley (Hyattsville, Md./DeMatha Catholic)
4-star LB Ma'a Gaoteote (Bellflower, Calif./St. John Bosco)
4-star LB Julien Simon (Tacoma, Wash./Lincoln)
4-star S Xamarion Gordon (Downey, Calif./Warren)
4-star ATH Calen Bullock (Pasadena, Calif./Muir)
4-star ATH Anthony Beavers (Harbor City, Calif./Narbonne)