Xavier Griffin decommits from USC, 4 visits to other schools lined up

It couldn't all be good news for USC. Certainly the Trojans have done well to get ahead of the curve and rack up talent ahead of a lot of schools. The fear, however, would be what that would mean in practice. Getting commitments is nice; it ultimately can mean something different, depending on the person, especially so far out.

For Xavier Griffin, at this time, he has opted to explore other options. On3's Hayes Fawcett reported the decommitment from the five-star linebacker in the class of 2026. He has official visits lined up for Ohio State, Texas, Alabama, and Florida State.

This is part of the new age of the current system. Many, if not most, barring a coaching change, who have pledged their intention to become a Trojan will see out their commitment. In the case of Griffin, while saying he was ready to join USC, he also wanted to explore other options and continue to hear what other schools had to offer him.

While the news may come as an 'oh great, here we go moment,' the reason why this happened is an overall positive from the current staff's approach. 247Sports' Tom Loy shared that USC wasn't willing to entertain someone being committed while also actively continuing down their respective recruiting process.

Coach Lincoln Riley has mentioned that he wants to have guys who are going to be with the team and build the brotherhood that is being established in Los Angeles. While someone like Griffin is well within their right to continually test the waters, it's a modern aspect of NCAAF that the staff isn't interested in entertaining at the moment.

USC program likely to seamlessly move on

In reality, if the recruit wishes to still go around the country and see what other schools have to offer, that's fine. Coach Riley, by the same token, is doing right by letting Griffin know that he and the staff will focus on others who want to wear the Cardinal and Gold.

By all means, it's possible for Griffin to end up recommitting down the line. Fans have already seen a similar situation play out this cycle. Knowing how well USC has recruited, however, if that decision doesn't come soon, then the Trojans will have already filled that spot with someone who is more certain of wanting to come to and join the program.