Top-5 class within sights for USC by end of June
There have obviously been some reports and rumors today that USC may not win the race for Taylor Tatum, but that does not affect the ability for USC to continue to rise the ranks in the On3 Industry Recruiting Rankings.
After updates early on Wednesday, USC jumped one spot to No. 6 in the class rankings. The path for the Trojans to jump into the to the top five is a clear one, and even one that can (and should) be done by the end of the month.
Looking at the team scores in the rankings, I think a commitment from one blue-chip prospect would help USC leapfrog Michigan, who is currently No. 5. If one commitment did not get the job done, two would guarantee it. This is obviously given Michigan does not see a big rise of their own.
Looking at the final 10 days of the month, USC is looking at potentially landing a number of commitments.
Who to pay attention to
The first prospect we know the date of commitment for is four-star wide receiver Ryan Pellum. Being a top-100 industry prospect, his commitment is sure to raise the Trojans in the ranks. His commitment is set to come on Monday, June 26. Pellum is set to officially Oregon this weekend, but Oregon insider Justin Hopkins says it is possible he does not make it to that visit. There are three predictions in place for USC.
High priority safety target Marquis Gallegos announced he will commit on June 27 and USC is expected to be his choice. There are currently three predictions in favor of the Trojans. Houston area safety Braylon Conley is set to commit on June 30. USC has long been the favorite in this recruitment and they remain the leader in the On3 Recruiting Prediction Machine.
We already know Silsbee (TX) four-star WR Dre’lon Miller is set to announce his school choice on June 29. We’re told this is a USC vs LSU battle and we’ve already submitted a prediction for the Trojans. It’s obviously challenging getting kids from East Texas out to USC, but Riley has crushed this recruitment.
Miller has also gone into detail about his close relationship with fellow Texan and USC target, four-star linebacker Tyanthony Smith. The two are very much talking about attending the same school. Scott Schrader reported today there is a belief that Smith could commit the day after Miller on June 30.
Elite Mater Dei cornerback Zabien Brown is another prospect who USC is very much in the race for. He does not have a commitment date set, but one could come at any time.
Where could this put the Trojans?
This list puts five prospect committing between June 26 and June 30. Like I said above, I think only one or two commitments puts USC into the top five. I think if things go the Trojans way in the next 10 days days or so, USC sitting at No. 3 would not surprise me. I don’t know if I see top-2 quite yet by the end of the month, but I think between 3-5 is the sweet spot right now. There is obviously no guarantee the Trojans land these prospects, but some of them are very much expected to land with USC.
If USC does end up pushing for a No. 1 or No. 2 spot at some point in the 2024 class, I think that would mean the likes of, Zabien Brown, 5-star wide receiver Mike Matthews, four-star Georgia commit Peyton Woodyard, and maybe Mater Dei defensive lineman Aydin Breland are in the mix of USC’s class. Not necessarily all four, but likely two of them would be required. There is still some work to do on all of them.
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