Where Will Rodrick Pleasant Commit?
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One of the most highly-anticipated recruitments in the country is about to come to an end.
On National Signing Day Gardena (Calif.) Junipero Serra cornerback Rodrick Plesant will make his college commitment. I stopped by his school to speak with him on Monday and preview his commitment.
Now it's time to weigh in with a prediction.
Pleasant has made a name for himself thanks to stellar play as a defensive back, making plays as a return specialist, and of course running blazing times as a sprinter on the track.
After earning Under Armour All-American distinction he's narrowed his choices to a top five of Oregon, USC, UCLA, Cal and Boston College ahead of making a decision on Wednesday.
Oregon looked to be the favorite at one point during this recruitment, probably dating back to his official visit in Novemer. They have one of the best track programs in the country, momentum on the field after Dan Lanning's debut season as a head coach and momentum on the recruiting trail after grabbing national headlines during the early signing period.
UCLA was a bit of a surprise to see sneak into this recruitment, as Chip Kelly and the Bruins landed an official visit in December. I was told that flipping Dante Moore was a key part of that.
But then we got to the new year.
To start off 2023 Plesant took his official visit to USC on Jan. 13. That gave Lincoln Riley and the Trojans the opportunity to leave a lasting impression as the last school he saw before announcing his commitment. After that trip he played in the Polynesian Bowl in Hawaii and returned home to California very close to his commitment date.
Last week Dan Lanning and Demetrice Martin flew to the Los Angeles area to have an in-home visit with Pleasant, a final effort of sorts.
Or was it?
Heading into last weekend there was a lot of buzz that the speedy defensive back was going to be in Eugene for an unofficial visit, but that lost steam and ultimately didn't end up happening.
Now here we are less than 24 hours from the commitment and I'm ready to make my prediction on what's shaping up to be an Oregon vs. USC recruiting battle.
Prediction: USC Trojans
-Confidence level: 6/10
I'm being told Oregon still feels like they have a strong chance in this recruitment, but USC is also checking all the boxes for Pleasant.
He has the chance to stay close to home, run track and be a difference maker on the football field. He's built strong relationships with a lot of coaches in Los Angeles, but Los Angeles native and defensive backs coach Donte Williams is the strongest. Add in strong connections with numerous USC commits like fellow speedsters Zachariah Branch and Makai Lemon, and relationships appear to be favoring the Trojans.
Staying close to home was the biggest thing that stood out to him about playing at USC and it just feels like the Ducks could come up a bit short in this one, especially after the last-minute visit didn't come to fruition. He did mention strong connections with multiple members of the coaching staff, but it didn't seem to hit the same mark as with Williams.
Pleasant's older brother Dominic Davis played for the Trojans from 2015-2019 and you also can't overlook the Serra to USC pipeline that has existed for years.
Maybe this one changes at the eleventh hour, but right now my gut's telling me USC will be the call on signing day.
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