USC Football Recruiting: Hunter Echols De-Commits from UCLA, Names Top 11

Four-star defensive end Hunter Echols announced his Top 11 Friday, naming USC football among his favorites after de-committing from UCLA.

USC football is in the running for recent UCLA de-commit Hunter Echols, who released his Top 11 shortly after announcing his de-commitment.

“I have officially de-committed from UCLA. I want to thank the coaches and fans for the love and support,” Echols wrote on Twitter Friday evening.

Later Friday night, Echols released his Top 11 and announced his future commitment date.

“I will be committing at the US Army All-American game,” said Echols in a tweet.

Though the Bruins lost his commitment, they too made Echols’ Top 11, along with Nebraska, Oklahoma, Notre Dame, Michigan, Washington, Oregon, Tennessee, LSU and Arizona.

At 6-foot-4, 230 pounds, Echols is the No. 7 weakside defensive end in the class, according to the 247 Sports composite. He is also the No. 14 player in the state of California and one of the top 100 players overall in the country.

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The Trojans could use help from a player like Echols. The Class of 2017 doesn’t feature any defensive linemen, though Echols would likely play in one of USC’s outside linebacker spots at his size.

As a local recruit, playing for Cathedral High School in Los Angeles, Echols value is even greater, particularly because he is considering four other Pac-12 schools as well as USC rival Notre Dame.

USC’s recruiting class does have nine recruits at the moment, including running back Stephen Carr, center Brett Neilon, tackle Andrew Vorhees, tight end Erik Krommenhoek, wide receiver Marlon Williams, athlete Randal Grimes, safety C.J. Miller and linebackers Juliano Falaniko and Daniel Green.