WeAreSC Recruiting Roundup with Scott Schrader & Dylan Brashier (9/25)

Each week me and our impressive intern from USC’s Anneneberg School of Communications hop on Zoom to record our USC Recruiting Roundup. At that time we recap some of the interesting USC storylines of the week for our YouTube audience. 

Our primary focus is on recruiting, but we’ll also touch on other topics each week.

In this USC Recruiting Roundup, WeAreSC’s Scott Schrader and Dylan Brashier discuss:

THE LATEST: Mater Dei’s Best Player

Although we don’t have an exact count of the guys owning Power 5 scholarship offers at Mater Dei, it’s an exceptionally impressive number. We’re talking about the roster top to bottom, as some of the most talented Monarch prospects are from the class of 2025 and 2026. 

We’ve seen Mater Dei play a lot of football the last decade and I’m not sure the Monarchs have ever had a stronger defense. On Friday night they faced one of the most talented teams in the country. Mater Dei traveled to Baltimore to play St. Frances Academy on Sept. 22.

There were many highlights defensively for both teams, but the best player on the field at John’s Hopkins University Friday night was Nasir Wyatt. The Mater Dei offense struggled a bit, but the Monarchs won 20-7.

“Our defense is special in my opinion,” said Wyatt. “I feel like we are the best defense we possibly could have. The best defense that ever came into Mater Dei. Our defensive coordinator believes it, we believe it. We go out there every week and dominate.”

Wyatt was already a guy everybody was paying attention to, but he’s noticeably better from a year ago. 

“I feel like I’m not even at my best, but I’m getting there,” Wyatt said. “I feel like I still got more to learn with coming off the edge, mastering the pass rush and mastering the bend. So, it’s a learning lesson every time I come out here….every week. Just doing everything I was trained to do and making plays.”

Jaylen Harvey’s Decision Likely Coming in October

Late last month 4-Star Gaithersburg (MD) Edge Jaylen Harvey was back in Los Angeles with his family for a third visit. He arrived on Saturday August 26 for the USC vs San Jose State game. He and his family had a great time in Los Angeles.

A few days after the visit, WeAreSC went to see Harvey for the fourth time this year. He shared his thoughts on what he gained from final USC visit. 

“I wanted to see how the coaches were coaching, live,” said Harvey. “See how they coach my position. That was pretty much it. They were giving the guys who weren’t playing mental reps.”

Harvey said they also had an opportunity to sit in on film sessions, position group preparation and get a true feel for the culture at USC. Harvey and his family left Los Angeles last weekend impressed with what they saw and experienced. It was Jaylen’s third visit.

SEC DL Commit Gabriel Reliford “Hoping to Visit USC”

USC has dished out a new offer to 2024 Shreveport (LA) Evangel Christian Academy defensive lineman Gabriel Reliford. 

Reliford is currently committed to Texas A&M. He pledged to the Aggies in June. 

Reliford is the No. 293 overall prospect and No. 28 defensive lineman in the 2025 cycle, according to the On3 Industry Ranking, a weighted average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies. He is also the No. 10 player in Louisiana.

On3 rates Reliford higher than other recruiting services, according to the Industry Comparison. Per the 2024 On300, he is the No. 70 overall prospect, No. 9 defensive lineman, and No. 4 player in Louisiana.

22 teams have offered the 6-foot-2.5, 255 pound standout. Texas A&M, USC, LSU, Tennessee, Ole Miss, Vanderbilt, SMU, Arizona State, Baylor, Tulane, Tulsa, Kansas State, Texas State, Southern Miss, Memphis, Eastern Michigan, Arkansas State, Air Force, Army, Louisiana Tech, Louisiana, Louisiana Monroe, and Middle Tennessee State have all offered. 

To date, Reliford has taken official visits to Ole Miss and Vanderbilt. He taken unofficial visits to Texas A&M, SMU, TCU, and LSU. 

With a strong start to his senior season, LSU has become a bigger presence in Reliford’s recruitment.