Anthony Beavers commits to USC football recruiting class of 2021

Four-star athlete Anthony Beavers committed to USC football for 2021 on Wednesday.

USC football’s recruiting class of 2021 just got four stars stronger.

The Trojans picked up a commitment from four-star athlete Anthony Beavers Jr., even though the Narbonne defensive back had apparently eliminated USC from contention.

Beavers took to Instagram and Twitter to make the announcement, but at the start of April, his tune was a bit different. He posted a graphic of his final five showing Virginia Tech, Michigan State, Arizona State, Florida A&M, and San Diego State. Missing were Oregon, the school he recommitted from in mid-February, and USC, the school where many experts predicted he would land in the long run.

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It turns out, the Crystal Ball experts over on 247Sports were correct. The tweet happened to be posted on April 1.

Beavers is now the seventh member of USC’s class of 2021, joining fellow Top 200 prospects like quarterback Jake Garcia, linebacker Ma’a Gaoteote, and defensive tackle Jay Toia.

Specifically, Beavers ranks 189th nationally and 17th out of California in the 247Sports composite. He is rated as the 10th-best athlete, projecting on the defensive side of the ball as a safety or linebacker

Greg Biggins of 247Sports described Beavers as “a physical player who will throw his body around and loves to hit.”

That body stands 6-foot-1, 195 pounds as he comes into his senior year at Narbonne.

Beavers was recruited to USC by cornerbacks coach Donte Williams thanks to their connection linking back to Oregon. When Williams was with the Ducks he landed Beavers’ pledge. However, it seems more likely the prospect will be coached by someone else on USC’s staff.

If he ends up at linebacker, he will join a unit on the verge of transition under Todd Orlando. Jordan Iosefa will graduate after the 2020 season while Palaie Gaoteote, Kanai Mauga, and Juliano Falaniko will be slated to move on after 2021.

Should Beavers instead stay at safety there could be more opportunities for immediate playing time. Talanoa Hufanga and Isaiah Pola-Mao could both depart for the NFL after this coming season. Alternatively, each would have just one year of eligibility remaining for 2021.

Beavers’ commitment moved USC up to No. 8 nationally and No. 1 in the Pac-12, according to the 247Sports team rankings.