Inside a new On3 Recruiting Prediction Machine pick for USC

One of the biggest recruiting weekends of the summer is taking place in Oklahoma, where the On3 Industry Ranking’s No. 1-rated running back Taylor Tatum is expected on Friday for the start of the ChampU BBQ.

This will be Tatum’s second official visit of June after returning to USC at the start of the month. Oklahoma’s DeMarco Murray spent a good chunk of the spring in East Texas around the elite Longview (Texas) High School tailback. Now, Tatum will be one of the two priority running back targets for the Sooners on hand in Norman along with four-star Duncanville (Texas) RB Caden Durham.

Oklahoma holds a slight edge on the On3 Recruiting Prediction Machine with Durham, which includes a pick from this analyst.

Tatum will be a part of the Sooners’ ChampU BBQ this weekend and is also still scheduled to officially visit Michigan on June 24-26. At one point this spring, the Wolverines had garnered a ton of momentum with the Texas-based back.

After several visits to see USC, including an official visit earlier this month, there is a sense that the Trojans have moved into the driver’s seat with the nation’s top running back. Sources familiar with Tatum’s recruitment note that Tatum and the family continued to grow closer to both Kiel McDonald and Lincoln Riley.

If a decision were made today, “it would be hard not to think it would be USC.”

I’ve logged an RPM in favor of the Trojans to represent their ascent in Tatum’s recruitment this offseason, which included visits in-season to The Coliseum, a return trip back for spring practices, and now a summer official visit, which continued to open the back’s eyes to different aspects of the athletic program and opportunities away from the field.

“Coach Riley and Coach Mac showing me the things I can do for USC as soon as I’m there and showing also really getting to know my family and getting to know theirs,” Tatum said, on the highlights of this weekend’s visit back to campus. 

“It opened my eyes a lot,” Tatum previously mentioned. “As a multi-sport athlete, if I go there, I can build my brand in two different sports. Brand-building in a city like L.A. and seeing those faces and those connections was exciting.”

Tatum is the No. 37 overall recruit in the country, according to the On3 Industry Ranking, a weighted average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies. He’s the top running back and also the No 9-rated player from inside the state of Texas in the 2024 cycle.

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