Former USC football signee commits to Washington State

Former USC football signee Jaylen Watson is heading to Washington State.

It’s time for a game of USC football “Where Are They Now?”

For former three-star Trojan signee Jaylen Watson, the answer is “heading to Pullman, Washington.”

Watson took to Twitter on Friday to declare his commitment to Washington State.

“For the first time since I was 4 years old I went without doing what I truly love to do, play football,” Watson wrote. “I persevered so many obstacles throughout this year, went through so many highs and lows. Sitting back a whole year having to watch gave me more drive and will.”

What happened with USC football and Jaylen Watson?

In case you’d forgotten, Watson was a signee in USC’s recruiting class of 2019. In fact, he was the first player to commit to former defensive backs coach Greg Burns.

Despite his three-star status, the 6-foot-2, 195-pound JUCO corner brought plenty of potential to the table. As a star defender at Ventura College, he was a two-time First-Team All-American selection by the California Community College Football Coaches Association.

CHECK OUT: Breaking down USC’s depth chart in the secondary

He was expected to help fill a gap in a Trojan secondary replacing every starter across the board. Not only did he bring great size to the position, but he was a more mature option to potentially plugin right away.

Unfortunately, it wasn’t meant to be for Watson and USC. After signing he was unable to get academically eligible and ended up sitting out the 2019 campaign.

The Trojans could have used him at one or two points. They were forced to start true freshman cornerbacks Chris Steele and Dorian Hewett against Arizona because of injuries to regular starters Olaijah Griffin and Isaac Taylor-Stuart. On the plus side, both first-year players performed quite well.

USC now enters the 2020 season with more confidence than ever that the youthful secondary is well on its way.

MORE: USC’s Mount Rushmore of stellar DBs

Meanwhile, Watson will get his shot at the Pac-12 level as a Cougar.

Chances of USC facing off with Watson will depend on just how long he stays with the Cougars. The Trojans don’t play Washington State this season. With two seasons of eligibility available, he could stick around and see USC in 2021. However, he will never get the shot to play at the Coliseum as the 2021 matchup between the two squads is slated for Pullman.