USC football loses chance to jump at best O-Line option since Josh Conerly blunder

Lincoln Riley, Caleb Williams, USC Football, USC Trojans
Lincoln Riley, Caleb Williams, USC Football, USC Trojans / BRYAN TERRY/THE OKLAHOMAN / USA TODAY
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When Amarius Mims hit the transfer portal on April 10th, USC football was a team that made a lot of sense for the Georgia Offensive Tackle. SC had five-star (all recruiting ratings and rankings in article are as of 247Sports) 2022 Offensive Tackle recruit Josh Conerly Jr. all but wrapped up in Cardinal and Gold only to lose him to the Oregon Ducks.

While they have a good group of starters on their offensive line, they need depth, and Mims would certainly solidify this line as a very exciting one. He'd start at either tackle spot, as he is loaded with talent. A five-star himself coming out of the 2021 class, he was the No. 3 OT in the nation, and the No. 8 overall player in the whole country.

The No. 1 player in the great talent pool that is the state of Georgia, he's the No. 188 recruit in history. At 6 foot 7, 330 pounds, he's got the type of length that would really succeed at either the left tackle or right tackle slot.

Unfortunately, however, USC couldn't make the move. It's not that they missed on Mims, but that they missed the chance to land Mims. Mims decided to leave the transfer portal and head back to Georgia.

USC football may now have a tougher time pivoting to offensive line pickups with Amarius Mims out of the picture.

Now that Josh Conerly Jr. and Amarius Mims are no longer on the board for USC football, the options remaining are slim. The only four or five star transfers left in the portal is Oregon's Jonah Miller. While Miller was a player who had interest in USC in his original recruitment process, there's no word on where he's thinking right now.

Other than him, SC's looking at three-star transfer options, which could still prove to be fruitful but aren't sure things. The recruiting cycle for 2022 is obviously over, so SC better either land Miller or hope more talented players will eventually enter the portal once everybody's spring camps are over.

Next. USC Football Spring Ball Depth Chart. dark

If not, they'll be landing depth pieces that are likely to not be high-impact players. This is where the miss on Conerly, and the other top west coast O-Linemen that they missed on really come back to bite them. This SC line was the No. 1 rated O-line in football last year (PFF). They'll be more than fine if they stay healthy, but they have a thin two-deep that could be cause for concern if injuries arise.