Jalen McKenzie to USC: Trojans Land 4-Star OT Prospect

A talented offensive tackle provides the foundation for a good offense, which is why Southern California was excited to see Jalen McKenzie commit to its football team.

McKenzie announced his intentions Monday:

Former USC basketball star Nick Young was happy about the decision:

McKenzie has made his name as a two-way player at Clayton Valley High School in California, serving on both the offensive and defensive line. At 6'5 ½", 307 pounds, he has the frame to play in the middle of a college defensive line, but his best path to success will likely be on offense.

A 4-star prospect, McKenzie is the No. 2-ranked offensive tackle from California and the No. 33 offensive tackle in the nation, per Scout.

Greg Biggins of Scout analyzed McKenzie's skill set as he prepares to start his college career:

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He's the younger brother of Tennessee DT Khalil McKenzie and will be recruited at the national level as well. He's a physical player but what stands out most is his explosiveness off the snap. He can explode out of his stance and is a punishing blocker at the point of attack. He's a true road grader and has the physicality to play early in college. He's coming off a knee injury that shortened his junior season but if healthy, he's a no brainer as a high Div I prospect.

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McKenzie missed the 2015 season because of a torn ACL, but he returned to the field in 2016 and has shown no lingering effects from the injury.

The Trojans came into the recruiting cycle with work to do on the offensive line—tackles Zach Banner and Chad Wheeler are graduating, and guard Damien Mama declared for the NFL draft—so they needed to hit a home run to build off a successful 2016 season.

Head coach Clay Helton has done an outstanding job of adjusting on the fly. He turned things around last season by handing the keys to the offense over to quarterback Sam Darnold after the team got off to a 1-2 start.

Given all of the turnover USC has to deal with on the offensive line, McKenzie's commitment gives Helton a huge piece to build around. The Trojans are going to be a trendy pick to win the national title next season because of how they finished in 2016.

The only way they can live up to that hype is if the offensive line jells early in the year, with McKenzie likely playing an integral role.

McKenzie is still learning the fundamentals of playing on the offensive line full time, so it may take some time before he's immersed in the starting lineup.

Despite those minor quibbles with his game, McKenzie is a tremendous talent who has a unique blend of versatility and athleticism that should allow him to become a star if he reaches his full potential.