Leon McQuay III to USC: Trojans Land Top-Ranked Football Recruit

Armwood High School (Fla.) safety Leon McQuay III has made his highly anticipated college decision. The top-ranked football recruit will attend USC:

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4-star S Leon McQuay III (Seffner, Fla.) commits to USC twitter.com/BleacherReport…

— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) January 5, 2013"

According to Rivals.com, McQuay is a legitimate 5-star prospect. His whopping 4.73 GPA is an indication of his work ethic and intelligence, which should aid his efforts in making an immediate impact at the collegiate level.

McQuay's physical measurements are also exceptional. At 6'2" and 183 pounds, he has a lot of room to grow into his frame, and could emerge as one of the premier safeties in the nation sooner rather than later.

Florida, Oregon, Vanderbilt, Michigan and USC were McQuay's top five schools, and it's easy to see why each made a strong push to get him.

A tantalizing prospect who has a knack for making plays in the defensive backfield, McQuay seems to have the study habits to back up his obvious talent.

A report by Derek Tyson of ESPN indicated that McQuay's decision was influenced by the flux at defensive coordinator with the Seminoles and the Trojans. Mark Stoops left FSU to take the head coaching job at Kentucky, while Monte Kiffin stepped down from his son Lane's coaching staff to pursue opportunities in the NFL.

As ESPN's Blair Angulo recently observed, McQuay seems to have already hit the big-time off the field. His keen interest in music production already has him featured on the four-letter network ahead of the Under Armour All-American Game:

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ESPNU is using Leon McQuay's music during its Under Armour All-American announcement show. #rapper

— Blair Angulo (@bangulo) December 5, 2012"

There are clearly several dimensions to McQuay's personality, and as the No. 2 ranked safety on Rivals.com, it appears the hype is well-deserved. He's a student athlete who clearly cares about the academic side of things, which also had to have influenced his decision.

It will be extremely captivating to see how McQuay's career develops in Southern California, and don't be surprised if his ability to learn quickly results in a starting job at one of the nation's premier programs in his first season.