WeAreSC On3 5/11/22: New transfer commit, elite OL recruit planning visits, and preseason odds released

On3 imageby:Adam Bradford05/11/22

Adam_Bradford14

WeAreSC On3 is a daily three-point briefing recapping news and notes surrounding USC Athletics. Today, we take a look at USC’s latest transfer commitment, an elite OL recruit planning his upcoming official visits, and where USC stands in the release of early Pac 12 betting odds.

New transfer commit

For USC, this recruiting cycle has largely been defined by the NCAA Transfer Portal. On Tuesday the Trojans picked up their latest transfer commitment in Wyoming transfer Solomon Byrd. A 6-foot-4, 250-pound defensive end, Byrd originally committed to transfer to Georgia Tech before flipping his pledge to USC.

In two full seasons at Wyoming (Byrd redshirted in 2018 and did not play in 2020 due to the COVID-19 Pandemic), he racked up 13 tackles for a loss and ten sacks. Byrd has two years of eligibility remaining, and he will look to make immediate contributions to a re-tooled Trojan defensive front in 2022.

Elite OL recruit planning May and June official visits

In a recent interview with WeAreSC, five-star class of 2023 offensive tackle Francis Mauigoa revealed that he will be taking his five allotted official visits in June. Mauigoa has not yet announced the full list of schools that he will be officially visiting. However, he did say that USC will definitely be one of these schools.

Coming out of IMG Academy in Bradenton, Florida, On3 Consensus ranks Mauigoa as the number 10 player and the number 2 offensive tackle in the class of 2023. According to On3’s projections, USC is currently the favority to land Mauigoa. However, several other schools are still very much in the mix as well, including Tennessee.

francis-mauigoa-tennessee-volunteers
(Photo by Chad Simmons/On3)

Early Pac 12 odds released

On Monday, Vegas released its early Pac 12 title odds on Monday. In a mildly-surprising but not stunning turn of events, USC is currently favored to win the conference.

The Trojans come out with 2/1 odds to win the conference, just ahead of second-place Oregon, which is listed at 11/5. Meanwhile, Utah, the defending Pac 12 champions, has the third best odds at 5/1.

Interestingly, the two teams with the best odds to win the Pac-12 both have new head coaches. After a dreadful 4-8 season in 2021, USC hired Lincoln Riley away from Oklahoma to turn the program around. Meanwhile, after losing Mario Cristobal to Miami, Oregon hired Georgia defensive coordinator Dan Lanning to lead its program.

You may also like