5-Star CB Olaijah Griffin Commits to USC over Alabama, Tennessee, Oregon

Prized cornerback Olaijah Griffin is bringing his skill set to the USC Trojans. 

Tom VanHaaren of ESPN reported the 2018 recruit committed to the Trojans on Wednesday. Griffin shared a video via his Twitter account after the announcement:

Griffin originally committed to UCLA last July, but he was keeping his options open by not signing a letter of intent with the Bruins. 

"I’m committed to UCLA right now, but I’m not signing until February," he told VolQuest’s Jesse Simonton (via Cody McClure of Saturday Down South). "I really like Tennessee."

The son of rapper Warren G and godson of former NFL linebacker Willie McGinest, Griffin has carved out his own niche as one of the nation's premier cover cornerbacks in the 2018 recruiting class. 

A 5-star prospect, Griffin is the No. 3 cornerback recruit and No. 28 overall player in the nation, per 247Sports. At 6'0" and 170 pounds, he has the size to be an impact defender along with the confidence to back up his immense talent:

Griffin's past experience as a wide receiver will help him as a defender on the other side of the ball. He knows what offensive players must do to break out of their routes, use their hips to disguise moves and how to create space. 

Not only did the Trojans add an elite cover corner to their 2018 class with Griffin's commitment, but his departure from UCLA also weakens one of their Pac-12 South rivals. 

USC head coach Clay Helton and his staff have done a fantastic job of recruiting over the past three seasons. At the time of publish, the team ranked first in the Pac-12 and 12th overall in 247Sports' 2018 class rankings.

The Trojans need to reload on talent after losing quarterback Sam Darnold, running back Ronald Jones II and defensive end Rasheem Green to the NFL draft. 

Bringing Griffin into the fold gives the Trojans a star-level talent in the secondary to build around. He will help combat the potent Pac-12 offenses in Washington, Washington State, Stanford and Oregon as they look to improve upon last year's Cotton Bowl appearance.