USC football flips 4-star safety away from Central Florida

No one can say that Lincoln Riley isn't serious about building a legitimate defense at USC. Sure, that's the national knock on the Trojans head coach but the reality is that Riley and Co. and landing some nice defensive pieces via the recruiting trail.

In fact, five of the top six highest-ranked recruits committed to the Trojans in the class of 2025 play on the defensive side of the ball. One of those five commits just joined the USC family on Tuesday.

Kendarius Reddick, a 4-star safety from Georgia has flipped from UCF to USC according to numerous reports on social media. This is a great win for Riley.

The 5-foot-11, 170-pounder is rated by 247Sports as the No. 14 safety and No. 173 player in the nation for the class of 2025. As you might expect, he has quite the offer list including suitors such as Alabama, Arkansas, Auburn, Florida, Miami, Michigan, North Carolina, Ole Miss, Tennessee, Virginia Tech, and others.

Andrew Ivins of 247Sports has the following scouting report on Reddick: "A versatile safety that plays fast and with plenty of confidence. Tipped the scales at roughly 5-foot-11, 170 pounds last spring after his sophomore season and tested reasonably well on the lasers. Has operated primarily out of a Cover 2-heavy system in one of the Peach State’s highest classifications and...totaled 127 tackles and four interceptions in 27 career varsity games according to MaxPreps.

"Could be best described as more of a three-level defender at this stage that can make an impact in run support near the line of scrimmage and also patrol the intermediate to deeper parts of the field. Tracks the football well and will get airborne to make a play at the catch point. However, has to improve in 1-on-1 coverage and get better with his hands if he’s going to reach his full potential and emerge as a true defensive pawn. Should be viewed as one of the top prospects in South Georgia for the 2025 cycle based on what he has put on tape to date. Likely to add value as a blitzer and carve out a role on special teams given his physical play style. Multi-year starter upside with all-conference potential."

This development is intriguing in multiple ways. First of all, it is proof that Riley and his coaching staff are dedicated to upgrading the talent in the program on defense. Of the 17 players currently committed to USC for 2025, eight play defense. Of that group, five are four-star recruits.

Also, USC is expanding its recruiting footprint outside of California and even outside of Big Ten areas. Interestingly, it is SEC country where the Trojans are making waves.

Counting Reddick, four current Trojan commits are from Georgia and three are from Texas. Additionally, USC has commits from Alabama, Missouri, Tennessee, and Virginia in its class.

It is great to see Riley and his coaching staff leave no stone unturned when trying to upgrade their talent pool, especially on defense. Currently, the Trojans have the No. 16 ranked class in the country which is good for fifth in the Big Ten. But if Riley keeps adding gems like Reddick to his program, that ranking is bound to rise.