USC Football: Insider Reveals Trojans' Thought Process Behind Skill Player Recruiting
Fresh off a season that left mixed, but mostly bad feelings in the hearts of Trojan fans, USC is one of the most difficult teams to project heading into next season. Thankfully, Luca Evans of the Pasadena Star-News provided some clarity and a necessary outlook on one position group in particular; Offensive skill players. By Evans count, USC's "X-Factor" next season will be redshirt sophomore Kyron Hudson, who has played sparingly through his first two seasons at USC.
"He’s now the veteran of an extremely young core, with two years of experience catching passes from Moss, and he could make for a sure-handed security blanket in 2024." writes Evans.
Evans also highlighted the mid-season switch to defensive back for former high school two-way star Makai Lemon writing that "He (Lemon) did no backpedaling drills. It was a midseason pivot based purely out of need, with USC’s secondary depleted by injuries amid a defensive plunge, and so the freshman (Lemon) found himself working with the DBs and taking productive snaps at corner in final regular-season games against Oregon and UCLA."
Lemon has since assured Lincoln Riley that his best position is wide receiver after making some impressive catches against Louisville in the Holiday Bowl back in December.
Other than division three transfer Jaden Richardson, USC remains very young at the wide receiver position. Everybody knows that Zachariah Branch is poised for an explosive role in USC's 2024 offense, but where does that leave class of 2024 recruit and soon-to-be true freshman Xavier Jordan?
On3 called him a "very high floor prospect", and 247Sports called him "an advanced route runner (who) can get deep and runs well after the catch". If Jordan fills out his 6-foot frame a bit, he might be pushing for playing time in year one alongside Branch, Lemon, Hudson and Richardson.
“It’s great that USC has one of the best receiving rooms in college football,” Jordan told USCFootball.com in August. “I’m going to have competition every day, so I’m just gonna keep my motor running every day.”
