Ronald Jones II to Commit to USC or Notre Dame at Under Armour Game

Four-star running back Ronald Jones II out of McKinney, Tex. will announce his commitment to USC or Notre Dame today at the Under Armour All-America Game, which airs at 1 p.m. Pacific on ESPN2.

UPDATE 1:07 p.m.: Jones has in fact committed to USC.

ORIGINAL POST: Jones II, a former Oklahoma State commit, settled on a final two of the Trojans and Fighting Irish last month following a visit to South Bend. A week before that, he been in Los Angeles, giving final two schools the last opportunity to court him.

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As of right now, the 2015 backfield looks to be in flux for the Trojans, making Jones II a highly valued recruiting target.

Buck Allen is undecided on whether or not he’ll return for his senior season, while Tre Madden will be back as a fifth-year senior after missing his second full season in three years due to a injury.

Soon-to-be-junior Justin Davis is the only certainty at this point, which makes USC desperately in need for top-end running back talent that has the ability to contribute early.

Jones II could be that guy, though Sarkisian already has a pair of running back commitments in Aca’Cedric Ware and Dominic Davis.

Prediction:

This is one that could honestly go either way. Both Irish and Trojans are in need of a running back and Jones II hasn’t tipped his hand.

Experts like Rivals’ Mike Farrell and Scout’s Marshall Cherrington have Jones II headed to the Trojans. We’ll agree, based on USC’s extreme need at the position which opens up the opportunity for early playing time.

Sarkisian continually let his freshmen playmakers earn their way onto the field, as seen with Adoree’ Jackson and JuJu Smith emerging as offensive weapons. That’s a big, juicy carrot dangling for a guy like Jones II. Look for RoJo2 to head west, giving the Trojans a pair of Texas running backs in 2015 class.