LOS ANGELES — On Friday, four-star quarterback and 2021 USC commit Jake Garcia will lace up his cleats and make his debut for Valdosta (Ga.) High School.
The Trojans’ 2020 season has been put on hold, but the world of college football recruiting has rolled on, even though the COVID-19 pandemic has certainly impacted prospects like Garcia, who moved from Southern California in order to play his senior season, and countless less-heralded players.
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Even though Garcia has been committed to USC for nearly a year, Miami has tried to make a serious push for the talented signal caller, and how successful that pitch is could affect the outlook at the position for several years down the road. With recruiting mostly at the forefront until USC starts playing actual football games, now’s a good time to check in on the state of the Trojans’ quarterback pursuits — not just for the 2021 recruiting cycle, but in 2022 and 2023 as well.
So let’s get started.
The 2021 cycle
USC got its commitment from Garcia, the No. 39 overall player in the class, last September, shortly after Bryce Young flipped to Alabama. As it stands, Garcia is the highest-rated player in the Trojans’ recruiting class, which sits at No. 10 in the nation, according to the 247Sports Composite.
Things got a bit interesting in June when fellow four-star 2021 prospect Miller Moss also committed to USC. It’s rare for a program to sign two highly-touted quarterbacks in one class for the obvious reason that only one can play. But after emerging as a breakout star in 2019, Kedon Slovis has played his way into a chance to leave after the 2021 season, which makes USC a more attractive option for a ‘21 quarterback who would only have to sit one season before earning a shot at the starting job.
Of course, Moss’ commitment led to message board speculation about what it meant for Garcia’s commitment. Miami offensive coordinator Rhett Lashlee and receivers coach Rob Likens have led the Hurricanes’ pursuit of Garcia, and Miami fans have been vocal about their interest in Garcia on social media.
Garcia’s move to the southeast raised some more questions. But Garcia still seems pretty firm in his commitment to USC right now. The 6-foot-2, 195-pound Garcia recently told The Athletic’s Ari Wasserman his commitment is “still solid with SC.” A source close to Garcia reiterated the same thing to The Athletic earlier this week.
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So although those Miami rumors may linger, USC appears to be in a pretty good spot with Garcia, who was recently named the starter and opens his season against state championship finalist Warner Robins (Ga.) High School.
Garcia and Moss both intend to enroll at USC in January. Moss is currently at Mater Dei High School (Santa Ana, Calif.) after transferring from Bishop Alemany (Mission Hills, Calif.) earlier this summer. In July, the California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) made the decision to postpone high school football until January.
Moss’ mother told The Athletic last month they hadn’t completely ruled out moving out of state to play his final season of high school football. But the more time passes, the more of a time crunch a potential move would create.
The 2022 cycle
The next year’s recruiting class features two highly rated quarterbacks in the Southern California area: Serra’s Maalik Murphy and Rancho Verde’s AJ Duffy. Both are four-star prospects ranked within the top 150 players of 2022.
Murphy has the measurables at 6-foot-4 and 215 pounds with an extremely live throwing arm. He’s the higher-rated prospect but also the rawer one, having played sparingly in his first two years of high school, in part because he’s been banged up.
USC has made Duffy the priority. The 6-foot-1, 197-pound Duffy already has two seasons worth of starting experience under his belt entering his junior season. Though his recruiting profile lists him as a pro-style quarterback, Duffy has legitimate dual-threat skills. He’s a quick decision maker with an arm that was bolstered by playing third base when he was younger.
The Trojans are high on Duffy, but they’ll have stiff competition. Oregon, Penn State, Miami and Florida State are among the other programs who are heavily in the mix, and Duffy hasn’t removed anyone from contention yet.
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UCLA appears to be trending well with Murphy, as does Ohio State.
For USC’s other 2022 targets, look to the state of Arizona, which is where the Trojans plucked Slovis from. The coaching staff is high on four-star Hamilton High School (Chandler, Az.) quarterback Nicco Marchiol, particularly his quick release and accuracy. He also plays in a system that translates well to offensive coordinator Graham Harrell’s scheme. Per his 247Sports recruiting profile, Marchiol holds offers from the likes of Florida State, Florida, Georgia and Michigan as well.
And look out for three-star Queen Creek (Az.) High School quarterback Devin Brown, who just received an offer from USC on Tuesday.
Surreal morning! I’m so extremely pumped and honored to be offered a football scholarship from @USC_FB Thank you to @USCCoachHelton @CoachHarrellUSC and @CoachDoege for this amazing opportunity! @JGermaine7 @TSchureman @QC_football @AZHSFB pic.twitter.com/kX4IhRlEc9
— Devin Brown (@dbrownqb33) September 1, 2020
Brown’s arm strength looks solid on film, and he’s mobile enough to extend plays. Brown threw for just 10 touchdowns compared to 12 interceptions as a sophom*ore so there’s still plenty of room to improve there. He also passed for 1,319 yards.
One thing in the ’22 cycle that will be interesting to watch is how the presence of two blue-chip prospects at the position in the ’21 class will impact the Trojans’ efforts to land a top-notch QB the following year.
The 2023 cycle
Here’s a fairly cut-and-dry explanation of USC’s 2023 quarterback recruiting efforts as they currently stand: It’s all about Los Alamitos blue-chip QB Malachi Nelson.
Of all the quarterbacks mentioned in this story, Nelson might turn out to be the best of the bunch regardless of class. It’s still early, but Nelson is the No. 6 overall player in the ’23 recruiting cycle, per 247Sports. He’s the No. 2 QB in that class behind Arch Manning, who, yes, is related to those Mannings.
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Nelson’s first offer came from Auburn — when he was in eighth grade. And you’re going to hear a lot more from him in the next two to three years.
Harrell and offensive analyst Seth Doege have been primarily involved with recruiting Nelson, who spent plenty of time FaceTiming with the USC staffers this spring. A source with knowledge of the recruitment said the Trojans are in a good position with Nelson and the relationship is getting stronger. The fact Nelson is the only quarterback USC has offered in the ‘23 cycle isn’t lost on the quarterback’s camp either.
At 6-foot-3 and 180 pounds, Nelson’s build is similar to that of Arizona State quarterback Jayden Daniels. As a freshman, Nelson threw for 883 yards, eight touchdowns and five interceptions as the part-time starter at Los Alamitos.
Los Alamitos has brought in transfer receiver/defensive back Makai Lemon, who is the No. 8 overall prospect in the ’23 cycle. Lemon gives Nelson a go-to target for the upcoming season and should help Nelson improve upon his modest freshman numbers.
USC’s staff is high on Nelson’s maturity and football IQ, but he possesses a natural throwing motion and a strong arm, too. It’s why he has offers from college football heavyweights spanning from the West Coast to the Midwest and the Southeast.
Sure, 2023 sounds pretty far off, but the quarterback recruiting circuit moves pretty fast. Most commit well before their senior seasons so they can start recruiting other players for the program they’ve committed to. So Nelson’s decision will come sooner than most realize, and USC is pretty intent on becoming the program Nelson ultimately chooses.
(Photo: Brian Rothmuller / Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
Antonio Morales covers USC football for The Athletic. Previously, he spent three years at the Clarion Ledger in Mississippi, where he covered Ole Miss for two seasons and Jackson State for another. He also spent two years covering preps for the Orange County Register and Torrance Daily Breeze. Follow Antonio on Twitter @AntonioCMorales
