Porter Gustin brings athleticism along with his physicality.
Erich Schlegel-USA TODAY Sports
Porter Gustin, the number one linebacker recruit in the nation, committed to USC today, picking the Trojans most notably over national champion Ohio State, who appeared to be Gustin's runner-up. He is the 25th ranked high school player overall in the country. Although USC was always the favorite to land Gustin, his choice was still relatively up in the air until the announcement giving the Trojans their 21st commitment for the 2015 recruiting class.
Gustin was recruited by both Marques Tuiasosopo and Peter Sirmon, who coach the tight ends and the linebackers respectively. This could suggest the possibility that Gustin may be used on the offensive side as well, as he certainly has the size to play tight end.
He is a really nice athlete with good size and straight-line speed. He was a two-way star for Salem Hills, playing quarterback on the offensive side. He also is a tough, physical kid, who clearly has some nastiness and enjoys contact. At the end of his senior season, he continued to play both ways despite injuring his throwing hand and playing with broken ribs. And because he was playing quarterback, he couldn't wear a full flak jacket to protect his ribs, so he played through the injury without full protection.
Gustin recorded 230 tackles and 12.5 sacks on defense, in addition to 1,160 rushing yards and 4,073 passing yards on offense over his last two years of high school football
Here are some Porter Gustin highlights, which I will definitely be breaking down later this week. What we know for sure is that Gustin and Utah native Osa Masina could be high impact players.
While some teams recruited Porter Gustin as a defensive end, and he is projected to eventually end up at the position, he is probably too light to play there right now. USC has recruited him as a Mike linebacker where he'll compete with established veterans like Lamar Dawson and Michael Hutchings to fill the vacant shoes of Hayes Pullard.
For more information on high school recruits potentially choosing USC, follow our National Signing Day coveragethroughout today and tomorrow.
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