USC football recruiting: Miller Moss names Top 4

Coveted USC football quarterback target Miller Moss announced four favorites.

Now more than ever,  USC football needs to make sure they land a pair of quarterbacks in the class of 2021.

They already have one committed in Jake Garcia, the nation’s No. 4 pro-style quarterback, but a second elite high school passer just got a step closer.

Miller Moss, the four-star quarterback out of Alemany High School, named his Top 4 schools on Thursday night, including USC along with UCLA, Alabama, and LSU.

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That’s an intriguing list of options for Moss. He’ll either stay home in Los Angeles or head east to the SEC for national title contenders.

It’s easy to see why those schools want Moss on their side. The 6-foot-2 pro-style quarterback ranks 48th nationally in the 247Sports composite and sixth in the state of California. He is No. 5 among quarterbacks.

Greg Biggins of 247Sports praised him for having “one of the quickest releases in the country” and compared him to Drew Brees.

USC’s recruitment of Moss is tricky.

With Garcia already on board, it may be tough to convince Moss to join the Trojans knowing his chances of securing a starting spot are 50-50 at best.

On the other hand, USC can point to Kedon Slovis’ success in Graham Harrell’s offense as a major draw.

It’s possible the NCAA’s upcoming ruling on allowing one-time transfers without penalty could influence Moss’ ultimate decision.

Already the possibility of the rule coming into place has convinced JT Daniels to enter the transfer portal. Recruits could similarly look at the rule change as a safety valve when making their college decisions. If Moss wins the job over Garcia, then he’s set. If it doesn’t work out at USC though, he could depart for another opportunity with no penalty.

However it works out with Moss, USC is in a dire position when it comes to quarterback depth. While Slovis is as good a first option as the Trojans could want, Daniels is exceedingly unlikely to be at USC in 2021. Matt Fink will have graduated, along with Vanderbilt graduate transfer Mo Hasan, leaving USC with Slovis and whoever they sign in the new recruiting class.