Colin Mobley commits to USC

USC's new defensive staff continues to do work on the recruiting trail, as the Trojans landed a commitment from three-star defensive end Colin Mobley on Friday afternoon.

Mobley, a 6-foot-4, 260-pound defensive end, was one of USC defensive line coach Vic So'oto's out-of-state targets offered when he made the move from Virginia. USC offered the three-star end out of Hyattsville (Md.) DeMatha Catholic in late March and was able to reel in a commitment.

While Mobley is rated as a three-star prospect, this is a case where college coaches might see more than the recruiting sites. Mobley held offers from Florida, Florida State, LSU, Michigan, Notre Dame, Ohio State, Penn State, Tennessee, and plenty of others.

Mobley has the frame to eventually move inside to defensive tackle during his USC career, depending on what kind of weight he adds. The first thing that jumps out about Mobley is that he brings that physical nature that So'oto has talked about repeatedly wanting from his defensive linemen. He's violent to the ball and does well to use his hands to separate from blocks.

So'oto helped build a terrific defensive line at Virginia during his time there, and he's gone back to that area multiple times with offers since coming to USC. While Maryland's recruiting has picked up in a big way and the Terps have grabbed commitments from two top USC defensive line targets in Gaithersburg (Md.) Quince Orchard's Marcus Bradley and Dameioun Robinson, getting a commitment out of national power DeMatha Catholic is a big win for USC. It should allow the Trojans and So'oto to continue their presence in an area that has increasingly produced big-time prospects.

For instance, big-time 2023 defensive end Jason Moore is Mobley's teammate. The Trojans have already offers, as have Alabama, Florida, LSU and plenty of others programs.

Mobley is the second defensive line commit for USC in the 2021 class, joining four-star defensive tackle Jay Toia (Simi Valley, Calif./Grace Brethren). And he could be the start of an unbelievable run at the position for So'oto and the Trojans. USC is likely the team to beat right now for No. 1 overall prospect, defensive end Korey Foreman (Corona, Calif./Centennial). The Trojans are also firmly in the mix for the nation's No. 2 overall prospect, defensive end J.T. Tuimoloau (Sammamish, Wash./Eastside Catholic).

Five-star defensive tackle Maason Smith (Houma, La./Terrebonne) is still a longshot with LSU out front, but the Trojans will push hard there. USC is also coming on strong in the race for four-star defensive end Aaron Armitage (Blairstown, NJ/Blair Academy), and is also in the mix for four-star prospects closer to home, in Keanu Williams (Clovis, Calif./Clovis) and Tiaoalii Savea (Las Vegas/Desert Pines).

Mobley is commitment No. 12 for the Trojans' 2021 class. He joins quarterback Jake Garcia (La Habra, Calif./La Habra), running back Brandon Campbell (Katy, Texas/Katy), wide receiver Quay Davis (Dallas/Skyline), Toia, linebackers Julien Simon (Tacoma, Wash./Lincoln) and Ma'a Gaoteote (Bellflower, Calif./St. John Bosco), safety Xamarion Gordon (Downey, Calif./Warren) and defensive athletes Calen Bullock (Pasadena, Calif./Muir) and Anthony Beavers (Harbor City, Calif./Narbonne)--all four-star prospects--as well as three-star offensive linemen Mason Murphy (San Juan Capistrano, Calif./JSerra) and Maximus Gibbs (Bellflower, Calif./St. John Bosco).