USC football recruiting: Key Trojan targets trending towards LSU

USC football recruiting efforts have been undercut by LSU recently.

USC football has a Top 10 recruiting class for 2021 so obviously things are going well for the Trojans on the whole.

However, recruiting has slowed down a bit this summer and other programs are taking advantage.

Specifically, LSU has apparently gained ground on two key Trojan prospects: Maason Smith and Nathaniel Wiggins.

USC football’s pursuit of Maason Smith and Nathaniel Wiggins is waning.

Smith is one of the top prospects in the nation, checking in at No. 19 in the 247Sports composite ranking.

The No. 2 defensive tackle in the country is from Houma, Louisiana, so it was always going to be an uphill battle for USC to land his commitment. However, his attachment to high-priority USC target Korey Forman, the No. 1 prospect in the class, kept the door open for the Trojans. The two have talked openly about wanting to team up together in college.

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More and more it appears any potential team-up will have to happen with Foreman leaving for SEC country, not the other way around. The 247Sports Crystal Ball features 10 predictions in favor of LSU. On Monday, USCFootball.com recruiting insider conceded the Tigers’ advantage with a new pick for the home state favorites.

Landing Smith always seemed more of a pipedream than anything, but he’s not the only prospect the Trojans are in danger of losing to the reigning national champions.

Wiggins is a 6-foot-2, 170-pound cornerback from Atlanta, Georgia. He ranks No. 120 in the 247Sports composite and ninth at his position.

New Trojan cornerbacks coach Donte Williams has been hard at work trying to turn Wiggins head. He did enough to land in the Top 8 for the prospect along with Florida, Texas, Alabama, LSU, Clemson, Tennessee and Oregon.

However, a rash of Crystal Balls over the last month have indicated the Tigers have the edge in this battle as well. On Monday, Florida insider Blake Alderman from Swamp247 gave the nod to LSU, adding to the other eight predictions.

A commitment announcement for Wiggins is scheduled for the end of August.

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Undoubtedly USC will have wanted to land both prospects, and the race isn’t run quite yet. Fortunately missing either wouldn’t prove a death blow for the Trojans class of 2021.

USC has a commitment from four-star defensive tackle Jay Toia. In the secondary, things look bright thanks to commitments from four-star defensive backs like Calen Bullock, Anthony Beavers Jr., Prophet Brown, Jaylin Smith and Xamarion Gordon.