USC Football Recruiting: Elijah Blades De-Commits, Lists Top 5

Four-star cornerback Elijah Blades de-committed from Florida on Wednesday, reopening his recruitment and listing USC among his new Top 5 schools.

The week before Signing Day is always a whirlwind of recruiting plotlines to follow, so it shouldn’t be surprising that things have gotten a lot more interesting for cornerback Elijah Blades.

The John Muir-product was committed to Florida, but announced his de-commitment from the Gators on Wednesday night.

“First off I want to say thank you to the University of Florida and the staff for giving me a chance to play at there school but I would like to reopen my recruitment up and think about what’s the best decision for me,” Blades wrote on Twitter. “Florida is still in it. Coming down to signing day.”

Blades then went on to immediately list his Top 5 schools heading towards Signing Day, including USC, Oregon, Nebraska, Georgia and Florida.

There’s intrigue surrounding Blades’ recruitment on two levels for USC.

For one, Blades comes from the Trojans’ backyard and would be a strong addition to the 2017 class, which currently boasts just one cornerback commitment. Blades is the No. 16 cornerback in the class and the No. 17 player in California, per the 247Sports composite.

Three-star CB Je’Quari Godfrey has already pledged to USC, but the Trojans could use another body at the position with the departure of Adoree’ Jackson this year and more expected next year.

USC is in pursuit of four-star athlete Greg Johnson, who could play cornerback at the college level, as well.

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• USC Podcast: RoT Radio Ep. 396 on the Football Season’s Fallout
• Talanoa Hufanga named Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Year, USC football with five first-teamers

That’s the other question with regards to USC’s pursuit of Blades — is there room in the 2017 class?

With 18 committed players and six remaining scholarships, the Trojans could have a full boat even if Blades is interested in joining up.

USC is in the mix for the likes of receiver Joseph Lewis, defensive linemen Aubrey Solomon and Jay Tufele, safety Isaiah Pola-Mao, linebacker Levi Jones, tight end Josh Falo and the aforementioned Johnson.

Considering the tight math when it comes to scholarships, Blades’ recruitment should be interesting to watch over the next week.