USC Football Recruiting: Jalen Ramsey Raves About USC, Names Top 7

If you watched The Opening special on ESPNU on Friday, you probably fell in love with the athleticism of Jalen Ramsey. The USC cornerback target ran a 4.49 40-yard-dash, jumped out of the room with a 39.8 inch vertical and scored a phenomenal shuttle time of just 4.06. Ramsey ended up with the fifth best SPARQ score on the day, and after the competition, he spoke to the media, including 247Sports, and named his current top seven schools, ‘in no particular order’: Tennessee, Vanderbilt, USC, Auburn, Ole Miss, Mississippi State and Washington.

The Trojans appear to have the upper hand in the recruiting battle for Ramsey, and when asked about his two June visits to SC, he wasn’t able to avoid raving about the school.

"The first visit was great. Showed me basically everything they had to offer. I went out with my parents, which was great. The second visit just exceeded the expectations even more, it was great again. That time I went out by myself. I got to hang out with some of the players who if I went to USC, I would be with. Kenny Bigelow, Eldridge Massington, Chris Hawkins, and guys like that. So, it was fun."

We mentioned yesterday how important the ties between Chris Hawkins and other defensive back recruits would be, and for Ramsey to echo that sentiment, it shows just how much reinforcement peers can be in recruiting.

The big omission from Ramsey’s top seven was the defending National Champions, the Alabama Crimson Tide. Bama was rumored to be in on Ramsey and only behind Vanderbilt and USC, but according to Ramsey, they just don’t make the cut at the moment.

"I like them, but they didn’t make my top seven. I just feel a little more comfortable with these other schools."

Now, as to whether or not staying in SEC Country makes a difference and if a conference plays a factor, Ramsey was pretty adament it doesn’t play into his decision, saying, “definitely not,” when prompted.

When should we expect to learn the commitment of Jalen Ramsey? Well, we might not have to wait long, as 247Sports asked the corner if he was planning to commit early before the summer was over and his high school started.

"That is definitely the plan. It may be sooner than later, I’m not really sure."

With Ramsey heading to Seattle on Monday to visit Washington after The Opening, if you have to speculate as to when a decision will come, it probably has to do with how the unofficial visit to UW goes. Should Sark and company really impress Ramsey, his recruitment could drag on longer and into August. Say UW doesn’t have the same affect as USC and Auburn had on Ramsey, and a decision could be made rather swiftly. But alas, as Ramsey said, he’s not sure and so neither is anyone else. We must all wait and see.

For the full video interview from 247Sports with Jalen Ramsey, click here.