Jamel Cook to USC: 4-Star Safety Decommits from FSU, Joins Trojans

Highly touted safety Jamel Cook had a change of heart on national signing day, as he decommitted from Florida State and instead decided to play his college football at USC.

Scout Recruiting was among the first to report Cook's decision:

According to 247Sports, the Miami native is a 4-star recruit who rates as the No. 2 athlete and No. 94 overall prospect in his class.   

Barton Simmons of 247Sports pointed to Cook's versatility as a big reason why landing him was such a major coup for the Trojans:

Flipping Cook was especially impressive on USC's part since head coach Clay Helton managed to go into his home state and steal him away from a premier program in the form of FSU.

The Miami Central High School product could be a huge weapon for the Trojans moving forward due to his status as a chess piece who can match up with opposing offenses based on need rather than being forced into one spot permanently.

Southern Cal needed to reload on the heels of a disappointing 8-6 season that was marred by controversy brought on by the firing of former head coach Steve Sarkisian.

The USC football program finally has some semblance of certainty once again, and the commitment from Cook suggests that the brand still has plenty of cachet in college football.

If Cook's decision is a sign of things to come for the Trojans on the recruiting trail in the near future, then they have a great chance to once again become a Pac-12 power and national title contender moving forward.

Follow @MikeChiari on Twitter.