Why the new 2023 USC football RB recruit is criminally underrated

USC football picked up a running back recruit from Wichita Falls, Texas in three-star back A'Marion Peterson. While he was the first three-star recruit that was picked up in the 2023 class by USC, it's worth understanding that the three-star tag given by 247Sports may be misleading.

Both Rivals and On3 have Peterson as a four-star recruit, and Rivals actually has him trending up and as the 13th-best back in the nation for his class, compared to 247Sports having him ranked 26th.

Perhaps this indicates that Peterson will be elevated to four-star status by 247Sports soon. It certainly does appear that 247Sports are the outliers in their analysis of Peterson.

Also, it's worth considering how many other programs were vying for the services of Peterson. 16 other programs offered Peterson, including but not limited to Alabama, Penn State, and Texas. USC was FAR from the only big program trying to sign Peterson.

USC football is getting a freak athlete in RB A'Marion Peterson.

According to 247Sports, new USC football commit A'Marion Peterson also runs track at Hirschi High School. He ran a 23.14 200-meter last year as a sophomore. That athleticism propelled him to be the No. 55 player in Texas coming out of this class according to Rivals.

Sure, he's listed as No. 63 by 247Sports, but it's worth remembering that 247Sports seems to rate him a bit lower than the other services. While 247Sports is a trusted source, two others seem to agree that Peterson is a bit better than what 247Sports is giving him credit for.

Regardless, even with 247Sports lower ranking of Peterson, SC currently has the 10th-best recruiting class in the nation in their ranking. He provides depth to a class that already has a four-star running back commit in Quinten Joyner. SC had oddly struggled to get two to three backs in one class at times during the Clay Helton era, so this commitment is a great sign for SC and where they are going as far as their trajectory as a program.