USC football recruiting: OT Matthew Wykoff names Top 7

Three-star offensive tackle Matthew Wykoff named his Top 7 on Thursday with USC football making the cut along with a Pac-12 rival.

USC and Arizona State’s recruiters spent the last few weeks trading barbs on Twitter. They’ll keep going head to head when it comes to the recruitment of Matthew Wykoff.

The three-star offensive tackle out of Magnolia, Texas announced his Top 7 schools with a graphic including USC, ASU, Texas, Auburn, Texas A&M, Penn State, and Texas Tech.

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Wykoff may be a three-star but he is a national recruit. He ranks 374th in the 247Sports composite. Among offensive tackles, the 6-foot-5, 304-pounder is 33rd. He is 53rd in Texas.

Gabe Brooks of 247Sports.com projected Wykoff as a Power 5 starter, praising him for playing “strong in the phone booth, especially against speed-oriented defenders” with a “consistent motor.”

USC offered Wykoff back in September, so they’ve had a horse in the race for some time. Since then they added to their Texas recruiting ties with assistant coaches like Todd Orlando and Craig Naivar. It’ll be a tough battle to pull Wykoff out of the state with so many local programs recruiting him. But that’s the kind of competition USC should welcome as they look turn their recruiting fortunes around.

Offensive linemen will continue to be a priority for the Trojans in 2021. They signed six new linemen in the class of 2020. Those were just the start of the process of restocking a unit with major depth concerns.

Reinforcements will be especially needed with three seniors graduating and projected starters Alijah Vera-Tucker, Jalen McKenzie, Andrew Vorhees and Brett Neilon eligible to leave for the NFL.

Wykoff appears particularly desirable since he can function as a tackle, but possesses the size and versatility to shift inside to guard if needed.

USC’s class of 2021 includes just three commits so far, but each ranks in the Top 200 prospects. Those include quarterback Jake Garcia, a five-star, and four-star defenders Ma’a Gaoteote and Jay Toia.