Jaylon Smith to Notre Dame: Ohio State, USC Will Be Fine Without 5-Star Recruit

Notre Dame just grabbed a commitment from Jaylon Smith (according to The Journal Gazette), one of the nation's most dynamic athletes at the linebacker position for the 2013 cycle.

Over at Full Ride, we've given Smith the "Stud of the Week" treatment and it is pretty clear the Fighting Irish are getting a good one. 

On the flip side of things, Ohio State and USC are missing out on one of the nation's elite prospects, and that's okay.

For the Buckeyes, they have a class filled with big-time talent and a kid already in the fold, Ryan Shazier; that is the beast you want at the linebacking position.

For Lane Kiffin and the Trojans, missing out on Smith is made a bit easier because of the overall talent level of their 2013 commitment list and the fact that they have three sophomore linebackers who are among the nation's best.

Notre Dame, a team that is one season away from losing Manti Te'o, its best defensive player in over a decade, getting Jaylon Smith was a must. Not only will he walk in the door as one of the Irish's better defensive players, but he will also have until February to help get other solid players in the Notre Dame boat.

As Keith Arnold of NBC Sports reminds us, Smith will be one of Kelly's biggest recruiting tools for 2013:

"

Jaylon Smith's commitment to ND is huge. Bigger than Clausen or Lynch. Bigger than Te'o. He'll have 8 months to recruit for ND.

— Keith Arnold (@KeithArnoldNBC) June 2, 2012"

While the Buckeyes miss out in this Midwestern recruiting battle, they do still have plenty to be excited about from a recruiting standpoint. They have 11 commitments and most of them are big-time athletes who are pumped up to play for Urban Meyer.

Cameron Burrows is the star on the defensive side of things, and the 5-star defensive back should give Everett Withers plenty of flexibility in the back end.

In Los Angeles, Lane Kiffin was the guy on the outside looking in at this race and ultimately the Trojans never really got their foot in the door. Trojan fans can take solace in the fact that they have one of the nation's best defensive linemen, best quarterback and two of the best running backs in the fold already. 

Even with scholarship limitations, Lane Kiffin is still outperforming most of the nation when it comes to recruiting. Losing on Smith is not nearly as detrimental to the Trojans as it is a benefit to the Irish.