Anthony Beavers Jr. decommits from Oregon after USC flips Donte Williams

Former Oregon commit Anthony Beavers Jr. opened his recruitment on Wednesday as the first ripple effect of Donte Williams hiring at USC emerged.

USC hired cornerbacks coach Donte Williams away from Oregon intending to make a statement. That statement is already being heard by recruits around the country.

Four-star athlete Anthony Beavers Jr., a local prospect from Narbonne, backed off his commitment to the Ducks in the wake of Donte Williams’ departure.

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For those who followed the news as it broke, Beavers may be familiar. He was one of the first recruits to react on Twitter to Williams’ change of colors, sending out a single “Face With Wide Open Eyes” emoji, ?.

On Wednesday, his tweet ending his commitment to Oregon involved a few more words: “As of Today, My Recruitment Is Wide Open.”

The 139th-ranked player in the class of 2021 already has an offer from USC.

MaxPreps lists Beavers with just four games of participation at safety in 2019, but he tallied 13 tackles, two tackles for loss, an interception, three pass breakups and a forced fumble for the Gauchos.

The Trojans could use some safeties with Talanoa Hufanga and Isaiah Pola-Mao both eligible for the NFL draft next year. However, Greg Biggins of 247Sports believes he “projects best as a linebacker.”

Wherever he ends up playing at the college level, Beavers is the kind of recruit USC needs to focus on keeping home. He ranks 15th in the state of California and his prior pledge to Oregon represented the Ducks encroachment into USC’s fertile recruiting ground.

There is still work to do to convince Beavers that USC is the place for him, but it’s clear Williams’ presence could make a huge difference in the race for his signature, as well as others.

Beavers’ decommitment comes as USC extended a slew of new scholarship offers on Wednesday. The likes of Ga’Quincy McKinstry, a five-star cornerback from Alabama; Tony Grimes, a five-star cornerback from Virginia; Avante Dickerson, a four-star cornerback from Nebraska; and Nyland Green, a four-star cornerback from Georgia, announced offers from the Trojans.