Joseph Lewis to USC: Trojans Land 5-Star WR Prospect

The best playmakers in college football have an innate ability to change games on their own, which is what USC hopes wide receiver Joseph Lewis will be able to do.  

Lewis announced his commitment to the Trojans on Wednesday, per Zach Helfand of the Los Angeles Times.

In a deep year for wide receivers—with Scout.com rankings listing 58 players at 4-stars or better—Lewis is one of the clear standouts rated at 5 stars. He's the No. 1 receiver from the state of California and the No. 2 overall wide receiver, in addition to being the 24th-ranked player regardless of position. 

Size (6'2 ½", 200 lbs), power and breakaway speed are three of Lewis' best assets, as this highlight video from his sophomore season shows:

Also working in Lewis' favor, as noted in his scouting report on Scout.com, is how physically mature he is relative to his age:

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Lewis is young for his grade but has a college body right now. He has size, down field speed, is a fluid route runner and catches the ball very well. He has excellent body control, is an explosive leaper and is great in jump ball situations. Lewis really elevated his game this spring on the 7v7 circuit dominating against high level competition. As he continues to fill out and add strength, his game will rise to another level.

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Being able to transition into college in near-game shape is a huge plus for Lewis, who will be able to make an impact as a true freshman instead of having to redshirt for a season while he adds muscle. 

The Trojans have had problems returning to their elite status after the NCAA punished the program following the Reggie Bush scandal, but head coach Clay Helton is on his way to bringing them back. 

Lewis' commitment is a significant win for USC, not only because he's a superstar in the making, but because Helton was able to keep one of the state's best players home. 

The Pac-12 is getting deeper with Stanford landing better recruits, UCLA increasing its recruiting presence in the national landscape, Oregon always bringing in strong athletes and Washington State coming on strong under head coach Mike Leach. 

USC is not going to run the conference like it once did, but Helton has the program moving in the right direction to compete for national titles again.

Recruiting information per Scout.com.