Five major college football programs linked to nation’s no. 1 edge rusher

The highest-ranked edge rusher in the country and one of the most-coveted players at any position is expectedly garnering serious interest from major schools.

Five-star IMG Academy edge rusher Zyron Forstall has narrowed his interest to a reported five college football programs, but one in the Big Ten has gained considerable steam ahead of the SEC schools in the race.

New leader for the 5-star

The leader of the pack for Forstall right now appears to be USC, as the Big Ten program currently sits atop the leader board among the schools projected to earn his commitment.

USC leads the way with a 45 percent chance to sign the edge rusher to its 2027 recruiting haul, according to the updated Rivals Recruiting Prediction Machine.

Gary Patterson was recently brought on as defensive coordinator by USC, bringing a veteran of considerable experience to a unit that needs improvement.

Patterson replaced D’Anton Lynn, who served as USC’s defensive coordinator for the last two seasons. Lynn left the program in December to take the same job at Penn State, his alma mater.

Super Bowl winner leading for USC

Forstall’s relationship with the Trojans is currently being spearheaded by an assistant coach with Super Bowl pedigree.

Eric Henderson is said to be the primary recruiter dealing with Forstall at Southern Cal, serving as the Trojans’ co-defensive coordinator, run game coordinator, and defensive line coach.

Henderson was previously the defensive line coach and run game coordinator for the Los Angeles Rams during their Super Bowl run with three-time NFL Defensive Player of the Year defensive tackle Aaron Donald leading the charge on the line.

That season, the Rams defense ranked third in the NFL in sacks recorded (50.0) and fifth in tackles for loss (85), and tied a Super Bowl record with seven sacks in their win over the Bengals.

Forstall has previously stated that USC remains in near-daily communication with him throughout his recruitment process.

Who else is involved?

A pair of elite SEC programs are also in play for Forstall, although analysts are of the opinion that his current interest still lies with the Trojans.

LSU currently ranks second with a 14 percent shot at earning Forstall’s commitment, according to the Rivals prediction model.

“LSU has a new staff, so I’m building that relationship, but I like Lane Kiffin and what he’s building,” Forstall said of the SEC juggernaut.

In a close third place is Alabama, which has a 12 percent chance at the top-ranked edge rusher in the country, per those metrics.

Where Forstall ranks as a recruit

No other edge rusher prospect in the country is as highly-regarded as Forstall.

The IMG Academy product is currently rated as the No. 1 ranked edge rusher in the nation, according to an average of the national recruiting services.

That average is high on Forstall in general, as he is listed as the No. 9 overall high school player irrespective of position in the 2027 college football recruiting rankings.

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