USC football recruiting: Four-star ATH Denzel Burke names USC in Top 5

Four-star athlete Denzel Burke included USC football in his Top 5 schools.

If you’re a highly-rated athlete with positional versatility in the United States right now, chances are USC football is hot on your tail.

That’s what it feels like at least after the Trojans made the Top 5 for four-star Saguaro athlete Denzel Burke.

Burke announced his Top 5 with a graphic on Twitter, including USC along with Ohio State, Colorado, Oregon and Washington. The likes of LSU, Texas, Auburn, Nebraska and ASU, who appeared in his Top 10 at the start of April, didn’t make the cut.

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The list creates a bit of urgency in the recruiting realm as Burke will end up with a conference rival unless the Buckeyes whisk him out of the west.

The 6-foot, 189-pound receiver and defensive back ranks ninth among athletes, according to the 247Sports composite. He is 175th nationally and fourth in Arizona.

USC already has commitments from Top 20 athletes Julien Simon, Anthony Beavers and Calen Bullock. Like those three prospects, Burke may ultimately land on the defensive side of the ball and is being recruited by cornerbacks coach Donte Williams, even though he can also be a playmaker on offense.

Blair Angulo of 247Sports described Burke as a “fluid athlete that could thrive on offense or defense.”

He announced an offer from USC back in December of 2019.

Even though the Trojans have potential defensive backs in Simon, Beavers and Bullock, the trio fit in as safeties or linebackers more than cornerbacks. That’s where Burke could bolster the Trojans, who will have to turn their attention towards the defensive perimeter in recruiting soon. USC doesn’t lose any cornerbacks to graduation after 2020, but Greg Johnson, Olaijah Griffin, Chase Williams and Isaac Taylor-Stuart will be eligible to leave for the NFL.

If USC can manage to snag Burke, the class of 2021 would take another step forward in the national recruiting rankings. Already the Trojans are ranked No. 5 after stocking up with recent commitments from four-star prospects like Simon, Beavers, Bullock, wide receiver Quaydarius Davis and running back Brandon Campbell.