Five-Star John Houston Picks The Trojans

John Houston

• Linebacker
• Junipero Serra HS (Gardena, CA)
• Ht: 6'2" / Wt: 210

Ranked second-best at his position by Rivals.com, five-star linebacker John Houston announced today from the Junipero Serra HS gym that he'll be joining the Trojan football program over Oregon, Oklahoma and Arizona State.

Houston is the latest Serra HS alumni from a talent-rich program that has produced a number of Trojans such as Robert Woods, Marqise Lee, George Farmer and current players Olajuwon Nwosu, Jalen Greene and Adoree Jackson.

But Serra has also produced starting Carolina Panthers cornerback Bené Benwikere and Seattle receiver Paul Richardson. Kris Richard, a former USC player and coach and current defensive backs coach for the Seattle Seahawks, also hails from Junipero Serra High School.

As you can see from these John Houston highlights, he could be the next player to follow in the NFL footsteps of is Serra predecessors. His sideline-to-sideline range is definitely one of the first things that sticks out:

Houston, along with Serra teammate Rasheem Green, who also committed to USC in the same school ceremony, make four of the "Big Five" recruits to commit to USC, after fellow linebackers Osa Masina (here's his breakdown) and Porter Gustin. The only remaining potential addition to this elite group is cornerback Iman Marshall, who will make his decision known at 1 p.m. PST on ESPNU.

Houston is a bit on the light side at 210 pounds relatively speaking, but his dynamic athleticism makes up for what he lacks in size. He projects as a weakside linebacker in USC's defense because he is so fast and good in space, but will certainly have his work cut out for him. He'll compete against Masina, Anthony Sarao, Michael Hutchings, and even Su'a Cravens for playing time.

Houston made 147 tackles along with three sacks during his senior season for a Serra squad that went 8-3. That means he averaged more than 13 tackles per game!

For more recruiting news pertaining to USC football, follow our National Signing Day coverage.