OT Courtland Ford commits to USC recruiting class for 2020

Three-star offensive tackle Courtland Ford announced his commitment to the USC recruiting class of 2020 on Monday afternoon.

When it comes to recruiting, one out can always mean one in. That seems to be the case for USC as they added three-star tackle Courtland Ford to the 2020 recruiting class on Monday.

Ford took to Twitter to announce his commitment.

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“Closed case,” he wrote along with two graphics welcoming him to the Trojan family. “#RuntheSCene #Committed.”

https://twitter.com/FordCourtland/status/1204166545959772162

The 6-foot-6, 305-pound product out of Cedar Hill, Texas is ranked 706th in the 247Sports composite. He is 52nd among offensive tackles and 97th in the state.

Ford had visited USC this past weekend and clearly the visit left an impression.

It would seem no coincidence that Ford’s commitment comes so soon off the back of two decommitments for the Trojans’ class of 2020. On Friday, Joey Wright backed off his pledge while Kyle Juergens also decommitted on Sunday, both were three-star linemen.

USC has limited numbers to work with for 2020. Though Ford is just their 10th commit for the class, the small number of graduating Trojans leaving the team could prevent Clay Helton and company from signing more than 13 players. That means scholarship math will have to be handled delicately with only a handful of open slots. The only way that will change is if USC expects transfers out of the program, giving them more space.

Four-star offensive guard Jonah Monheim currently headlines the class of 10, which once again includes six offensive line prospects now that Ford has entered the fold.

Since the Trojans were already at low numbers in the trenches in 2019, the imperative to reinforce the unit was high for this class. The graduation of Drew Richmond, Clayton Bradley and Jacob Daniel ensured that, though the potential departure of NFL-eligible players like Austin Jackson and Alijah Vera-Tucker will only add to the pressure to find enough bodies to keep the unit functioning.