Utah linebacker transfer Carson Tabaracci commits to USC
On Wednesday night USC landed a commitment from Utah linebacker transfer Carson Tabaracci.
Tabaracci originally signed with Utah in December as a three-star prospect in the class of 2022. According to the On3 Consensus rankings, he was the No. 589 recruit in his class, and the No. 24 athlete.
After a successful first spring at Utah in which he impressed the coaching staff, Tabaracci elected to enter the NCAA Transfer Portal in April. The Trojans emerged as a top contender to land the young linebacker shortly after he entered the Portal, and he was on campus at USC for a visit this spring.
Due to the NCAA’s one-time transfer rule, he will be immediately eligible to play for USC in 2022.
Tabaracci’s Fit at USC
Tabaracci is the third potential inside linebacker brought in by the Trojans via the transfer portal this offseason. That was clearly a position the new coaches saw as needing an infusion of depth and talent. USC lost last year’s leading tackler in Kana’i Mauga and had very little returning experience outside of Ralen Goforth. Second-year linebacker Raesjon Davis has immense potential and took a significant step forward this spring.
But the incoming reinforcements could set the tone at the two inside linebacker positions. Former Alabama linebacker Shane Lee immediately took on a leadership role after arriving at USC. And plenty is expected from former Arizona State linebacker Eric Gentry, who had a tremendous true freshman season.
Tabaracci is still getting accustomed to playing linebacker at this level. He was a standout running back for the Park City (Utah) Miners. He led the team with 1,188 rushing yards and 15 touchdowns. But he had just five tackles as a senior.
Making this move now could allow him to redshirt this season while learning behind Lee, Gentry, Goforth, Davis and others. But he’s also tremendously athletic and it’s tough to completely rule him out getting on the field in some capacity this year. This is a very solid addition for both the overall team speed, athleticism and toughness, as well as for future depth as Tabaracci has all four years of eligibility remaining.
