USC's QB carousel continues with Jake Garcia commitment

"Who’s their quarterback in 20xx?"

It’s the first question a QB prospect asks when deciding on a school and it’s often the determining one.

It's not a coincidence then that a day after officially losing the face of its 2020 signing class, USC found a new one -- for 2021. Jake Garcia of nearby Los Angeles Narbonne High announced his commitment to the Trojans on Monday evening.

USC initially offered Garcia a scholarship last June after he performed in a 7-on-7 camp on campus. He made it clear then he was really interested in the Trojans but would need to see how their quarterback situation evolved. Hence, the immediate commitment in the wake of Bryce Young flipping to Alabama.

Garcia is a notable prospect himself, having garnered attention from numerous Power Five programs throughout the country. This is definitely a win for USC, even if it came on the heels of a loss. The 4-star recruit would arrive at a pivotal time for the program, as both Kedon Slovis and JT Daniels will be juniors in 2021 and Matt Fink's eligibility will have just expired.

The Trojans still need a 2020 quarterback, however. The tricky part will be landing one. Only a few notable prospects are uncommitted and Early Signing Day is less than three months away. (Keep an eye on C.J. Stroud of Rancho Cucamonga High.) USC had offered only two QBs from the class, Young and D.J. Uiagalelei, because it had secured a commitment from the former so long ago. That the Trojans' coaching outlook remains unclear, which was at the root of Young's change of heart, will keep most kids from seriously considering signing. A lot can (and likely will) happen before Garcia himself reaches that point with the Trojans.

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USC got away with having just three scholarship QBs in the 2018 season. This year has shown the importance of having a fourth, and the season is just four games old. Moreover, they won't know when Daniels will be available for several months but there's the chance that he's hampered going into training camp next summer. Whether he has an opportunity to win his job back will likely determine how much longer he sticks around. That probably comes down to how Kedon Slovis performs over the next two months, and whether Clay Helton and Graham Harrell are still at USC next year.

Of course, the Trojans are still trying to figure out who will be their quarterback this weekend. Sources tell me the coaches are operating under the assumption that Slovis won't be available after his head violently hit the grass on the second play of last Friday's win versus Utah. An extra day off slightly increases his prospects of returning from a concussion, but the Trojans are preparing as if Slovis won't play.

With USC possibly down to one scholarship QB, don't expect Jack Sears to walk back through that door. Sears was disillusioned last month upon learning he was fourth string. He remained on the team for another week, only he received virtually zero reps and wasn't even tasked to direct the scout team. That proved to be the tipping point for him entering the transfer portal. Rather than stand around and watch practice, the redshirt junior decided he could be more productive throwing on his own time despite the lost year of eligibility.

Sears obviously couldn't have had the foresight to know two quarterbacks would go down. Even so, he would still be behind Fink and Slovis, who isn't expected to be out long. At this point, I'm told if he doesn't have an opportunity to start, Sears isn't going to rejoin the team.

COMMITTED✌🏼❤️💛 #FightOn pic.twitter.com/ThSWvfi6Mk
— Jake Garcia (@JakeGarcia14) September 24, 2019

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