USC makes top schools lists for two elite prospects
Two elite prospects announced their lists of top schools over the weekend and the USC Trojans landed in the mix for both. Five-star edge Qua Russaw posted his top-11 list, while four-star wide receiver Tyler Williams went with a top ten.
Russaw’s Top Schools
The 6-foot-3, 230-pound Russaw is the nation’s No. 23 overall prospect and a 5-star recruit. He’s ranked even higher than that in the 2023 On300 Rankings, where he checks in as the No. 8 overall prospect.
Russaw’s top 11 schools are Alabama, Alabama State, Auburn, Florida, Georgia, Miami, Ohio State, Oklahoma, Texas, Texas A&M and USC.
It’s a who’s who of college football recruiting royalty, as would be expected for a player of Russaw’s caliber.
It’s going to be extremely difficult to pull the Alabama native away from SEC schools. Georgia holds the lead in the RPM for Russaw, with Alabama close behind.
Russaw should certainly be considered a long shot right now. But USC’s inclusion in his top group is another testament to both the excitement surrounding USC right now as well as the job the coaches are doing right now of keeping the Trojans somewhat involved in the recruitments of big-time prospects.
USC is chasing after a few edge defenders in the 2023 class. Five-star Nyckoles Harbor has become an intriguing target after a recent visit to USC.
Four-star Jayden Wayne is a top target, though Alabama and Oregon are trending there. USC just landed in the top-five for four-star Malik Bryant, and there’s good reason to believe the Trojans might just have a shot there.
Four-star Braylan Shelby recently spoke very highly of his spring visit to USC. And the Trojans just locked in an official visit from a West region four-star prospect.
Williams’ Top Group
Wide receiver Tyler Williams is the nation’s No. 138 overall prospect in the 2023 On3 Consensus. The 6-foot-4, 185-pounder is another prospect who ranks higher in the On300 Rankings, checking in at No. 55 there, and the No. 10 wide receiver overall.
Williams’ top schools list features Alabama, Clemson, Florida, Georgia, LSU, Notre Dame, Ole Miss, South Florida, Syracuse and USC.
Williams has yet to visit USC and doesn’t have a visit scheduled yet, so that will be worth watching to see how serious Williams really is about the Trojans. Georgia currently holds the lead in his RPM, backed by Clemson.
Wide receiver isn’t a spot that is all that concerning when it comes to USC. The Trojans hold commitments from five-star Zachariah Branch and four-star Makai Lemon. Even if no other wide receivers came on board, that’s still a great haul. But USC will land another receiver or two in this class and targets are plentiful.
Four-star wide receiver Jalen Hale just named USC as one of his top schools. Four-star DeAndre Moore is a two-way standout who could land at USC as a receiver. And four-star Brandon Inniss will be a USC target all the way until he makes a decision.
