USC Football Recruiting: Predicting All the Recruits Who Will Sign on NSD
A stellar USC football recruiting class is finalized Wednesday on national signing day. The Trojans are already on the right path for 2015, with six players enrolled and on campus for the spring semester.
Among the early enrollees are 5-star offensive lineman Chuma Edoga and ballyhooed 4-star quarterback Ricky Town.
Other prospects already at USC are 4-star cornerback Isaiah Langley, 4-star linebacker Cameron Smith, 3-star offensive tackle Roy Hemsley and 3-star wide receiver Isaac Whitney.
Much of head coach Steve Sarkisian's signing class is accounted for, either via the early enrollees or the 14 other verbal commitments already pledged to the Trojans. But USC has room to make a big splash with its remaining scholarships.
Quarterbacks
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Town's arrival at USC comes with plenty of fanfare, but the impending signing of fellow 4-star Sam Darnold brings its own intrigue.
Darnold played his prep football at San Clemente, a short jaunt down Interstate 5 from the USC campus in San Clemente, California.
Recent Tritons quarterbacks include four-year Boston College starter Chase Rettig and current Utah starter Travis Wilson.
Darnold's style is more comparable to that of Wilson then the typical USC quarterback of the past, combining his length and athleticism to function as a dual-threat playmaker. His impending signing is a testament to the offensive tweaks Sarkisian is introducing.
Running Backs
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The first big splash USC made in 2015 was landing a verbal commitment from McKinney, Texas, in 4-star running back Ronald Jones II.
Jones is one of three running back recruits whose national letters of intent will come across the fax machines in Heritage Hall on Wednesday.
USC also has verbal commitments that should manifest into signings this week from 3-star Dominic Davis, of Bishop Alemany in Mission Hills, California, and 3-star Aca'Cedric Ware out of Cedar Hills, Texas.
The trio of running back pledges runs the full gamut of styles and skill sets.
Wide Receivers
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USC's 2015 signing class is light on wide receivers. The only verbal commitment, aside from already enrolled Whitney, is another JUCO prospect, 4-star Long Beach (California) City College product De'Quan Hampton.
Four-star Ykili Ross of Riverside Polytechnic High School in Riverside, California, is a two-way threat who excelled at both receiver and cornerback at the prep level.
Sarkisian proved willing to use players on both offense and defense in 2014 with Adoree' Jackson shining on both sides of the ball. Perhaps Ross will be the 2015 version.
.jpg?w=256 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
Offensive Linemen/Tight Ends
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The youth across USC's offensive line in 2014, with three true freshmen starting at various times and a redshirt freshman joining them, means the Trojans are not in dire need of support this recruiting cycle.
Joining the already enrolled Edoga and Hemsley will be a pair of Southern California prep products: 4-star tackle Clayton Johnson of Servite High School in Anaheim and 3-star center Cole Smith of Mission Viejo.
Similarly, tight end is one of the lighter recruited positions in USC's 2015 signing class. The Trojans flipped former Duke verbal commit and 4-star prospect Tyler Petite in December.
Petite caught 37 passes for 969 yards and nine touchdowns to help Campolindo High School in Moraga, California, to a perfect 16-0 record in 2014, per MaxPreps.com.
Defensive Linemen
5 of 7USC could get the next Leonard Williams in 5-star defensive tackle Rasheem Green. Green's athleticism, combined with a 6'5", 275-pound frame, means he could fit into just about any role up front for the Trojans.
That Green comes from USC recruiting stronghold Junipero Serra in Gardena, California, should be a difference-maker in his signing.
"Video feature on big #USC target @ras_green. Will he be a Trojan? http://t.co/lxnhnUEXCR pic.twitter.com/D5bJLMVAwo
— USCFootball.com (@ThePeristyle) February 2, 2015"
The Trojans could have a dangerous one-two combination in the 2015 signing class by combining Green's versatility with the prototypical defensive tackle size of verbal pledge and 4-star prospect Jacob Daniel.
Daniel, from Clovis North High School in Clovis, California, was one of the earliest commits in this class and has never wavered.
USC also received commitments early in the process from defensive ends Noah Jefferson, a 4-star recruit from Desert Oasis High School in Las Vegas, and 3-star Christian Rector from Los Angeles' Loyola High School.
Linebackers
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Porter Gustin is one of the top remaining uncommitted prospects in the 2015 signing class. The 4-star prospect from Salem, Utah, also has the size and playmaking ability to be an immediate addition to most linebacker corps, including USC's.
Ohio State's aggressive push here in the final stretch might be USC's greatest hurdle in landing Gustin's national letter of intent.
"Five-star Porter Gustin, his father and grandfather (and a shiny thing) on official visit to #OhioState @Kevin_Noon pic.twitter.com/7DiXEgSUuH
— Blair Angulo (@bangulo) January 31, 2015"
The Buckeyes have this past season's College Football Playoff trophy to potentially woo Gustin, but USC has its own illustrious history to reference—namely, its rich linebacker history.
"With his football season over, four-star linebacker Porter Gustin is changing gears: http://t.co/R6ePAeRtU0 pic.twitter.com/2euzeFtvE5
— Blair Angulo (@bangulo) November 11, 2014"
The other target who should take his first steps in extending USC's Linebacker legacy is 4-star John Houston from Junipero Serra High School in Gardena, California.
Either Gustin or Houston would certainly make for a nice addition alongside 5-star recruit Osa Masina, who verbally committed last week and should send in his national letter of intent Wednesday.
Defensive Backs
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One of the last cornerstone signees Sarkisian and his staff are pursuing for national signing day is 5-star cornerback Iman Marshall.
The Long Beach Polytechnic High School (Long Beach, California) product's announcement is one of the most highly anticipated of the week, thanks in large part to Michigan's late push. However, USC has been in the mix for several months.
Given the Trojans' pipeline to Long Beach Poly, which last year produced wide receiver John "JuJu" Smith, Sarkisian should be in the driver's seat for Marshall.
He would join a class that currently has commitments from safety Marvell Tell, a major addition scored last month out of Crespi Carmelite High School in Encino, California. Signing the 4-star Tell notches a head-to-head victory for the Trojans over crosstown rival UCLA.
USC also added a verbal commitment from the aforementioned Ross, who could play either offense or defense in 2015.
Recruiting rankings and information courtesy of 247Sports.com composite scores.
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