USC Football Recruiting: Trojans Gain Huge Verbal from 4-Star Jason Hatcher

Sometimes football fate taketh away and sometimes it giveth...

The day after the Trojans learned that defensive end Devon Kennard will likely be lost for the season with a torn pectoral muscle, USC gained a huge defensive end when Scout.com four-star prospect Jason Hatcher gave Lane Kiffin his verbal pledge to come out west and play for the men of Troy.

Hatcher, who plays his prep ball for Trinity High School in Louisville, KY, already possesses a college football body at 6'3", 245 lbs, and he matches that physical prowess with excellent quickness off of the edge.

With Trojan scholarships quickly running out, Hatcher jumped on the USC offer after saying that he wanted to play his college ball out of state on a telecast from Rivals.com.

Even before the unfortunate injury to Kennard, USC needed to continue bolstering a defensive line that is light on depth in 2012.

After the graduations of Da'John Harris and Christian Tupou, along with the early departure of defensive end Nick Perry to the NFL left the cupboard somewhat bare, the signing of Hatcher, a big time prospect, helps replenish the d-line unit.

Hatcher joins fellow 2013 defensive line commits Kenny Bigelow and Eddie Vanderdoes (both tackles) and end Kylie Fitts, all of whom are ranked as either four or five-star recruits by the major rating services.

In addition to USC, Hatcher held offers from over a dozen big-time programs such as Alabama, Auburn, Oklahoma, Florida and Michigan.