College Football

USC Football: Top National Signing Day targets

Updated Mar. 5, 2020 2:11 a.m. ET

Fansided, Jordan Luth/FanSided via Saturday Blitz

Who are the top-ranking recruits left on USC’s board as national signing day approaches?

The end of USC’s season may have been hard to see coming after the start to the year that the Trojans had. After starting the year 1-3, USC rattled off eight straight wins, including a 26-13 win over Washington. That streak of great play paid off as the Trojans would go onto the Rose Bowl and play the Big Ten Champion, Penn State Nittany Lions. USC would finish off a remarkable season with a 52-49 win over Penn State in the Rose Bowl.

True freshman quarterback Sam Darnold was not only the answer for USC, but also became a rising star through out the season. Junior quarterback Max Browne was the original starter for the Trojans at the start of the year. Darnold took the starting job from Browne by the end of September and would go 9-1 in his time as the starter. It appeared that the inexperience of Darnold would not be a problem.

USC had found itself in a sort of limbo. They had gone to the Holiday Bowl two years in a row and have sat around eight to nine wins for the past few seasons. The 2016 campaign was different, USC found itself in a familiar place, the Rose Bowl. USC has the most wins in the Rose Bowl with 25. The next closest is Michigan, with eight.

They were back in a BCS, now New Year’s Six, bowl game for the first time since 2009. They played Penn State in the Rose Bowl that year, much like they did this year. The Trojans won both meetings.

The Trojans should come into 2017 with a lot of confidence. The ended as No. 3 in the AP top 25 poll and will have their eye on the CFP this year. They will be coming in with a very strong recruiting class for 2017 as well. It is seen as top-15 recruiting class by most of the recruiting services and is ranked as high as the 10th best class in 2017 by 247Sports.

As National Signing Day gets ever so close, there are still some players that the Trojans would love to get to strengthen their class even more. Here are five big targets that USC could pick up on National Signing Day.

5. Isaiah Pola-Mao, 4-star S (Phoenix, AZ)

As the Trojans sit as the 10th-ranked class, they will be looking to finish strong come National Signing Day. If they could land the four star safety, Isaiah Pola-Mao, they could have the end to National Signing Day that they wanted.

While it seemed inevitable that Pola-Mao would pick Washington, a recent trip to LA to visit USC may have changed the All-American’s mind. He took his visit to USC on Jan.13 and since his visit, popular opinion is starting to believe that he may pick the Trojans.

Pola-Mao stands at 6 -foot-4 and weighs just under 200 pounds. He comes in around the 190-pound mark. While he may be listed as a safety, his frame and body suggest that he is a pure athlete. Someone who has an ability to be a play maker. This could bode well for the Trojans as they will be losing two of their bigger play makers, JuJu Smith-Schuster and Adoree Jackson, to the NFL draft.

The Arizona native has listed Arizona State, USC, and Washington at the top of his list for potential schools. In a recent tweet, Pola-Mao stated that he will be making his decision on Jan. 27.

Isaiah Pola-Mao is ranked No. 107 overall, and ranked as the 12th best at his position according to 247Sports.

4. K’Lavon Chaisson, 4-star DE (Houston, TX)

K’Lavon Chaisson comes in at No. 4 on this list. It may take a late push from USC to secure Chaisson to their class. He has taken three official visits in the past two weeks to the likes of Colorado, LSU and Texas. Chaisson is set to make his official visit at USC just six days before National Signing Day on Jan. 27.

USC’s biggest competition is the home town team of Texas. With Chaisson being a Texas native, there may be incentive to go and play there. The Texas Longhorns defensive coordinator, Todd Orlando, has made a visit to see Chaisson as well. Orlando has been looking at Chaisson since his time at Houston. K’Lavon Chaisson is a Houston native and would have been right in Orlando’s back yard during his time at the University of Houston.

USC has some work to do if they are going to be able to beat out Texas. If Chaisson decides to come out to LA, he would be the highest rated defensive end that the Trojans would pick up from the 2017 class.

K’Lavon Chaisson is the third-ranked defensive end and No. 11 overall in his class according to 247Sports.

3. Austin Jackson, 4-star OL/DT (Phoenix, AZ)

USC is in very good position to pick up the No. 1-ranked offensive lineman left on recruiting boards. Jackson is listed as an offensive linemen by most recruiting services, but he also played as a defensive tackle in high school.

Having played on both sides of the ball is sure to make Jackson much more wanted by universities. He possesses a versatility that other players at his position may not have. Being 6-foot-6 and 280 pounds, being able to play both sides of the ball and being that big could be a deadly combo.

The Trojans will once more be competing with Arizona State and Washington. Much like they are for the talents of Isaiah Pola-Mao. This time, USC seems to have a decent advantage over the other schools. Jackson visited USC back in November, and has them at the top of his list.

It appears that Jackson will be dawning the USC hat come National Signing Day. Jackson is ranked 21st overall and as the fifth-best offensive linemen by 247Sports.

2. Aubrey Solomon, 5-Star DT (Leesburg, GA)

USC made the cut on Aubrey Solomon’s final list of schools. While that may seem great, they are not at the top. It seems unlikely for USC to land the 5-Star stand out defensive tackle. If they are able to to pull it off, USC’s 2017 class would look even more impressive than it already is.

In USC’s way are the likes of Nick Saban and Jim Harbaugh. Solomon made visits to both Alabama and Michigan back in November and made his official visit to USC back on Jan. 13.

On Jan. 23, the top defensive tackle according to 247Sports, Marlon Tuipulotu, committed to USC. If USC could also bring in Aubrey Solomon, they could potentially bring in two of the top defensive tackles in the 2017 class. It would be a huge win for the Trojans. Of course this all depends on Solomon picking USC over Alabama or Michigan.

While the chances of him picking USC are slim, it is still a real possibility. As for Solomon, he stands at 6-foot-3, 288 pounds. He is a massive force on the football field. A potential game changer on the defensive side of the ball.

He is ranked No. 30 overall and as the 3rd best defensive tackle in his class. Both rankings are according to 247Sports.

1. Joseph Lewis, 5-Star WR (Los Angeles, CA)

Of all the players left, Joseph Lewis is at the top of USC’s recruiting board. He is right in their backyard and has USC as his top choice at the moment.

Nebraska seemed to have Lewis for a long time. He went on his official visit to Nebraska back on Oct. 1. He would also go and visit Oregon on Oct. 8. Lewis made his last visit of the recruitment process to USC on Jan.27.

As he showed in high school, Joseph Lewis has big play potential. Whether that be with his speed or catching the ball in crowded spaces and making something out of nothing.

Since his visit to USC, it appears that the Los Angeles native may be stay right at home. Lewis is right in USC’s back yard. Being able to pick up Lewis, a 5-star, U.S Army All-American, would be huge. With the loss of their top receiver, JuJu Smith-Schuster, to the NFL draft, getting Lewis would be a huge win.

It also appears the Lewis likes USC just as much as they like him. Lewis tweeted out about USC right before their Rose Bowl game.

Let's Go SC get the Win #FightOn ????✌️

— Joseph Lewis IV (@jodyforthewin) January 1, 2017

This would be one of, if not the biggest pick up for the Trojans on National Signing Day. Lewis is ranked as the 31st best player overall and the 4th best player at his position, according to 247Sports composite.