USC Football: Position-by-Position Grades for 2015 Recruiting Class
USC head coach Steve Sarkisian and his staff deserve A grades for putting together the Trojans' best recruiting class in eight years, ranked No. 2 nationally per the 247Sports composite scores.
Highly touted prospects at each position elevated this class to such heights. However, not every incoming group of recruits is exactly the same.
Evaluating both the potential for immediate contribution to a sanction-thinned lineup, as well as the long-term outlook for making an impact at USC, the following are grades for each positional unit in the Trojans' recruiting class.
Quarterbacks
1 of 7
Though neither is likely to see any game action in 2015, the long-term future of USC's quarterback play is bright with the additions of 4-star prospects Ricky Town and Sam Darnold.
Town's arrival at USC marked the Trojans' first victory over Alabama in the lead-up to the two historic programs meeting in 2016. Town was originally committed to the Crimson Tide but had a change of heart last year.
Darnold may be the less heralded of the two, but his dual-threat game is intriguing. USC saw dashes of a deviation from the program's longstanding tradition of exclusively dropback quarterbacks from Cody Kessler in 2014.
Darnold is capable of taking run and pass plays to another level for the Trojans in the future.
Grade: A
Running Backs
2 of 7
Losing 2013 and 2014 leading rusher Javorius "Buck" Allen leaves USC with Justin Davis as the only scholarship running back with any experience in the past season to his credit.
The Trojans get Tre Madden back from injury, but he has not played in nearly two years. That means USC could need immediate contributions from the incoming class.
Ronald Jones II, a 4-star prospect from Texas, is the most likely newcomer to interject himself into the rotation.
Joining Jones are 3-star prospects Aca'Cedric Ware—also out of Texas—and Dominic Davis.
The group is collectively not as heralded as the rest of USC's illustrious 2015 class, though that's hardly an indictment of any of the three recruits' potential.
Grade: C+
Wide Receivers/Tight Ends
3 of 7
The USC coaching staff hit the junior college recruiting trail aggressively to snap up two transfers capable of filling the holes early departures to the NFL draft left in the Trojans' receiving corps.
De'Quan Hampton, a 4-star prospect out of Long Beach City College, as well as 3-star Riverside College transfer and early enrollee Isaac Whitney are big bodies: Hampton goes 6'4", 220 pounds, while Whitney is 6'3", 200 pounds.
All that length should give Kessler options next season, particularly in the red zone.
Similar to Hampton and Whitney, 6'5", 225-pound tight end Tyler Petite has an opportunity to emerge as a scoring threat.
The one-time Duke commit Petite fulfills a much-needed role for the Trojans in 2015. Bryce Dixon is the sole returning, scholarship tight end with game experience, though USC does return Jalen Cope-Fitzpatrick from academic suspension.
Deontay Burnett was also signed to this class, further solidifying USC's pipeline into powerhouse Junipero Serra High School in nearby Gardena, California.
Grade: B+
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Offensive Line
4 of 7
USC was not in desperate need of immediate offensive line support in this particular class. The unit is cumulatively young, returning three true freshmen and a redshirt freshman who started in 2014.
However, those prospects USC has added give the Trojans some impressive depth, starting with 5-star guard Chuma Edoga.
Landing Edoga was a win for Sarkisian and his staff on several fronts: He was the first 5-star commit in this class, he remained solidly a Trojan throughout the recruiting process, and he came to USC from the heart of SEC country (McEachern High School in Powder Springs, Georgia).
Edoga is already enrolled and will participate in spring practices, along with 3-star tackle Roy Hemsley. That extra few months of preparation for the rigors of the college game could prove invaluable—it did for key 2014 contributor Toa Lobendahn.
Center Cole Smith and tackle Clayton Johnston round out USC's offensive line class, which is a solid group overall.
Grade: B
Defensive Line
5 of 7
Two of the most immediately game-ready prospects in USC's 2015 recruiting class are defensive linemen Rasheem Green and Jacob Daniel.
Green, a 5-star recruit out of Junipero Serra, was one of the Trojans' final pledges on national signing day. Conversely, Daniel verbally committed early and remained firmly a USC recruit throughout the year.
Though they followed different paths to USC, both should make a fast impression: Green as the versatile playmaker, Daniel as a gap-plugging space-eater.
Other defensive line recruits include 4-star end Noah Jefferson and 3-star prospects end Christian Rector and tackle Kevin Scott.
Grade: A
Linebackers
6 of 7
The best individual unit within USC's excellent signing class is the linebacker corps, much of which fell into place in the final days and weeks of recruiting season.
The commitment of 4-star prospects John Houston and Porter Gustin on the week of national signing day capped USC's torrid final push, which began two weeks earlier with the commitment of 5-star Osa Masina.
All three bring different qualities to USC. Houston was a tackling machine who excelled in run pursuit at Junipero Serra High School, while Gustin and Masina are big, physical presences.
Early enrollee Cameron Smith, another 4-star prospect, rounds out a truly outstanding class worthy of top marks.
Grade: A+
Secondary
7 of 7
Another huge hit in the Trojans' 2015 signing class, the incoming corps of defensive backs features a wide array of talents and players who should be able to contribute immediately.
Iman Marshall, a 5-star cornerback from Long Beach Poly High School in Long Beach, California, headlines the group. The highly sought-after, local prospect made his announcement to cap national signing day.
Also at cornerback, the Trojans welcome 4-star recruit Ykili Ross. Ross and Marshall are both bigger defensive backs, each over 6'0", which should jell nicely with the speed USC already has in abundance in the secondary.
Of course, more speed never hurts, and early enrollee Isaiah Langley provides that.
At safety, 4-star Marvell Tell should compete for a prominent role immediately. All told, this group is in the conversation for USC's best for 2015.
Grade: A+
Recruiting rankings and information courtesy 247Sports.com composite scores.
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