USC lands commitment from transfer defensive back Jacobe Covington
The Trojans have added another player from the transfer portal this offseason as former Washington defensive back Jacobe Covington announced his commitment to USC on Sunday.
Covington entered the transfer portal earlier this month and quickly set up an official visit to USC. The Trojans did enough to earn the commitment from the 6-foot-1, 198-pound versatile defensive back.
Covington was a consensus four-star prospect in the 2020 class out of Scottsdale (Ariz.) Saguaro. He was a top-300 recruit by the three major recruiting services at the time. He held offers from LSU, Michigan, Oklahoma, Texas A&M, USC and other programs.
Covington was listed as a safety prospect as a recruit but played cornerback for the Huskies. He saw limited action in 2021, making just five tackles. Though, cracking the starting lineup that included first-round draft pick Trent McDuffie and second-round draft pick Kyler Gordon at corner was impossible.
Potential Fit for Covington at USC
USC chasing another cornerback in the transfer portal doesn’t come as a surprise. The Trojans lost last year’s starters Chris Steele and Isaac Taylor-Stuart to the NFL this offseason. USC did land Mekhi Blackmon and Latrell McCutchin out of the portal. But Blackmon has just one year of eligibility remaining. And McCutchin spent a lot of time this spring at safety and nickel.
There are some young options in Prophet Brown and Ceyair Wright. But adding to the position looks like a priority based on injury history and a lack of depth at the position.
Covington is a known entity to USC defensive coordinator Alex Grinch, who recruited the defensive back hard when he was at Oklahoma. Covington took an official visit there and was seen as a versatile defender who could play multiple spots in the secondary in his defense. Oklahoma made Covington’s top eight schools before he ultimately committed to Washington. Covington gives USC some positional versatility with his ability to play both cornerback and safety. It’ll be interesting to see where he lines up initially and how he’s used during fall camp.
Here’s a look at what we learned about the USC cornerbacks during spring ball.
USC’s Transfer Portal Haul So Far
USC haul via the transfer portal this offseason is impressive. Covington becomes addition No. 17 via the portal this offseason.
Here’s a look at the new additions.
Quarterback Caleb Williams.
Running backs Travis Dye and Austin Jones.
Wide receivers Mario Williams, Brenden Rice and Terrell Bynum.
Offensive lineman Bobby Haskins.
Defensive linemen Tyrone Taleni, Earl Barquet and Solomon Byrd.
Rush end Romello Height.
Linebackers Shane Lee and Eric Gentry.
Cornerbacks Latrell McCutchin, Mekhi Blackmon and Covington.
Safety Bryson Shaw.
Ahe Trojans are squarely in the mix for wide receiver Jordan Addison, who is coming off an official visit to USC.
