The 2021 recruiting cycle was a lot different than the 2020 one for Clay Helton and the USC Trojans. A year ago, USC finished 64th nationally and last in the Pac-12. It was a shocking turn of events for the program.
Things even looked grim in the spring before the pandemic, but it took a turn to where the Trojans finished with the eighth-ranked class nationally and the second-ranked one in the Pac-12, trailing only Oregon. What was the turning point?
Speaking on the Football Recruiting Podcast, 247Sports’ national recruiting editor Brandon Huffman pointed out a moment in time where momentum started to positively shift for USC.
“It was really when Donte Williams got there -- when he left Oregon to take the defensive backs job at USC,” Huffman said. “It was right around the beginning of the pandemic -- mid-March into April when momentum started to swing with a lot of SC recruits -- namely like (four-star ATH) Calen Bullock, ((four-star ATH) Jaylin Smith, (four-star ATH) Anthony Beavers and other guys from the southland that were committed elsewhere or leaning elsewhere, they started to commit to USC. And then the momentum just kept building, and it closed with such a bang to get (five-star defensive end Korey) Foreman to not just announce but to get him signed in December. Then to get (four-star cornerback) Ceyair Wright, hold off a late charge by Ohio State and Oregon for (four-star linebacker) Raesjon Davis and to keep that Mater Dei to USC pipeline going -- I think this is the recruiting that USC fans expect, and essentially kind of demanded for good reason.”
Williams is regarded as one of the best recruiters on the West Coast and the nation. Williams finished as the No. 1 Pac-12 recruiter by the 247Spots rankings last season, poaching many top California prospects away from the Trojans. He currently sits at No. 1 in the conference and No. 7 nationally. Williams was the primary recruiter for Wright and Foreman.
With the Trojans getting back to normal on the recruiting trail, Huffman says the battles with Oregon on the horizon will be something to watch.
WATCH Super Bowl LV online for free on CBS Sports by CLICKING HERE
“I think we're now seeing that the 2020 recruiting class was an anomaly. USC isn’t the only program out west that’s sitting in a good spot. Oregon is in five different states out west this year that they got the number one player in the state to come to Oregon. So, the Oregon-SC recruiting battles are going to be epic these next few years. But we’re starting to see SC recruit back in their weight class again this year after a one-year dip that was really leaving a lot of Trojans fans concerned with the future of the program.”
"cycle" - Google News
February 07, 2021 at 09:15AM
https://ift.tt/3rnXGnw
What the turning point was in USC recruiting during the 2021 cycle - 247Sports
"cycle" - Google News
https://ift.tt/32MWqxP
https://ift.tt/3b0YXrX
Bagikan Berita Ini
0 Response to "What the turning point was in USC recruiting during the 2021 cycle - 247Sports"
Post a Comment