USC Early Signing Day 2021: LOI tracker, live blog and open thread

USC Early Signing Day for the class of 2021 has arrived

The time has come to launch another USC Early Signing Day as commits put pen to paper and undecided players make their picks.

The Trojans had a disappointing haul in the class of 2020, but the class of 2021 is shaping up to be a much better showing. USC needs to prove that by sealing the deal on a number of prospects.

That means reeling in National Letters of Intent from the likes of Miller Moss while also wrangling in coveted targets like Jaxson Dart and others.

CHECK OUT: What was USC’s best-ever recruiting class?

Will it be a drama-free day for the Trojans? Or will the Early Signing Period open with some unexpected moves? We’ll find out as the day unfolds.

Follow along with Reign of Troy’s live blog and LOI tracker…

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USC Early Signing Day Live Blog

10:05 a.m. — Let’s check in with the emoji match for a second.

There are 19 Fight Ons in Harris’ latest tweet and we have 19 confirmed signees for the Trojans. In terms of committed prospects, USC is still waiting on three-star offensive lineman Saia Mapakaitolo. Four-star linebacker Ma’a Gaoteote is technically committed but is not expected to sign with USC.

The Trojans are also still waiting for a Signing Day decision from four-star athlete Devin Kirkwood, who will be announcing at 3:00 p.m. Pacific.

Then there are the decisions we’ll have to wait a bit longer on. Five-star DE Korey Foreman is planning to sign today, but won’t announce his commitment until Jan. 2. Loyola CB Ceyair Wright is also waiting to announce in January. Since Mater Dei linebacker Raesjon Davis is waiting to sign in February, the wait will be extra long to see if the Trojans can pull off a flip from LSU.

10:00 a.m. — It’s been a long time coming for Jay Toia, but the four-star DT is now officially signed.

9:26 a.m. — And it’s official for Jaxson Dart.

9:21 a.m. — USC gets a KABOOM on Early Signing Day by picking up the commitment from four-star QB Jaxson Dart, whose insane senior season propelled him up the recruiting rankings.

8:43 a.m. — Another DB in a class full of them has officially arrived. USC welcomes four-star athlete Calen Bullock to the bunch.

8:37 a.m. — USC is taking on the Ducks on Friday, but first they’ve landed a Beaver(s). Yes, that was painful, but four-star athlete Anthony Beavers is officially in the class, so it works.

8:26 a.m. — Now it’s 15 with four-star quarterback Miller Moss completing his signing. The SoCal native has been one of the key commits in the class since he first made his pledge in the June.

8:15 a.m. — Make that 14 official signees for USC so far this morning. Four-star safety Xamarion Gordon is official.

8:10 a.m. — It’s been mostly promptly announced LOIs for USC this morning, but there will be some intrigue coming up in about an hour when four-star quarterback Jaxson Dart makes his announcement on ESPN2.

8:04 a.m. — Four-star defensive back Jaylin Smith announced his signing earlier, but the Trojans have now locked him in.

Fellow four-star DB Calen Bullock is also reporting completed paperwork.

7:55 a.m. — And now it’s official for Prophet Brown, the four-star cornerback from Elk Grove.

7:45 a.m. — Here’s another one! Three-star offensive lineman Mason Murphy from J Serra is the latest announced signee for USC.

7:35 a.m. — They’re coming quick now. Arguably the best player in the class for USC, four-star linebacker Julien Simon has made it official.

Meanwhile, four-star DB Prophet Brown has tweeted news of his LOI being sent in.

7:30 a.m. — We don’t know if he’s musically talented, but wide receiver Michael Jackson can catch the ball with the best of them. He’s USC’s newest signee.

7:17 a.m. —We’re waiting on an official announcement, but four-star DB Jaylin Smith reports he has also signed his LOI.

7:15 a.m. — Another one is in the bag. Maximus Gibbs, the three-star offensive lineman out of St. John Bosco, has signed.

7:04 a.m. — Here we go. Four-star wide receiver Kyron Ware-Hudson is the one to start the next wave with his LOI going official.

7:02 a.m. — We’ve hit a bit of a lull as the time zones tick over, but the Pacific should start bringing some new LOIs soon.

In the meantime, former USC commit Joshua Moore has ended up with UCLA.

6:15 a.m. —While we’re waiting for the next wave of LOIs, here’s some more on Joseph Manjack. The 6-foot-3 wide receiver made plays all over the field as a senior in high school and he’s clearly better than his national ranking.

5:45 a.m. — There he is. Four-star running back Brandon Campbell completes the Texas foursome with the ink dry on his LOI.

5:38 a.m. — USC’s next LOI is brand spanking new to the class. The Trojans announced the signing of three-star wide receiver Joseph Manjack, a 6-foot-3 all-purpose monster from Texas.

5:30 a.m. — Who is No. 6? We’ll find out soon.

Prediction: Running back Brandon Campbell is USC’s third commit from Texas. He simply needs to make it official.

5:25 a.m. — Another signee from the Lone Star State has arrived. Three-star offensive lineman Ty Buchanan is in.

5:16 a.m. — Yes indeed the eyes of Texas are upon USC. Three-star tight end Lake McRee is the third LOI officially announced by the Trojans.

5:15 a.m. — Make that not four, but five signees based on emoji science. The Texas boys must have arrived.

5:10 a.m. — Since Eric Ziskin left USC, is director of player personnel Spencer Harris the new provider of the Twitter tea leaves?

In case you’re new, Ziskin used to mark each Signing Day with a Fight On emoji for each signee.

We’ve had two announced, but a third may be on the board?

5:08 a.m. — While we wait for more LOIs to come in (USC doesn’t have any more players in the Eastern time zone committed), there are a few former USC commits and targets to check in with.

Four-star DB Phillip Riley, who briefly decommitted from Notre Dame and joined USC’s class before changing his mind, has ultimately signed with Notre Dame.

The Trojans may have been hoping for a change of heart for four-star DE Aaron Armitage, but he stuck with his pledge and signed with Stanford.

5:00 a.m. — LOI number two is in the book. Three-star defensive end Colin Mobley from Maryland has officially signed with USC.

4:42 a.m. — USC’s coaches and support staff wasted no time announcing the first signee for the class of 2021. Four-star tight end Michael Trigg, a basketball prospect as well, dropped in his LOI as his Florida time zone allowed.

4:50 a.m. — Good morning Trojan fans! We’re up bright and early to bring you all the updates from USC’s Early Signing Day showing. Start sipping that coffee, it’s going to be a long day.

USC Early Signing Day Big Board:

Five-star DE Korey Foreman

• Rank: 1st in 247Sports Composite
• Size: 6-foot-4, 265 lbs.
• Location: Corona, CA (Centennial)
• Status: Commitment scheduled for Jan. 2
• Choices: USC, ASU, Clemson, Georgia, LSU

Five-star LB Raesjon Davis

• Rank: 45th
• Size: 6-foot-1, 215 lbs.
• Location: Santa Ana, CA (Mater Dei)
• Status: Committed to LSU, signing in Feb.
• Choices: USC, LSU

Four-star QB Jaxson Dart

• Rank: 103rd
• Size: 6-foot-3, 210 lbs.
• Location: Draper, UT
• Status: COMMITTED TO USC
• Choices: USC, BYU, ASU, UCLA

Four-star DB Devin Kirkwood

• Rank: 268th
• Size: 6-foot-3, 175 lbs.
• Location: Gardena, CA (Serra)
• Status: Commitment scheduled for 3:00 pm PT

Four-star DE Tiaoalii Savea

• Rank: 214th
• Size: 6-foot-3, 265 lbs.
• Location: Las Vegas, NV
• Status: Uncommitted
• Choices: USC, Nebraska, UCLA

Four-star ATH Ceyair Wright

• Rank: 77th
• Size: 6-foot-1, 175 lbs.
• Location: Los Angeles, CA (Loyola)
• Status: Commitment scheduled for Jan. 2
• Choices: USC, ASU, Michigan, Notre Dame, Oregon

Three-star WR Joseph Manjack

• Rank: 1,310th
• Size: 6-foot-3, 200 lbs.
• Location: Tomball, TX
• Status: COMMITTED TO USC
• Choices: USC, SMU, UCLA

USC Early Signing Day Signees (19):

Current Unsigned USC Commitments (1):