2016 USC Recruiting: Brandon Burton Chooses UCLA, Spurns USC

Brandon Burton appeared on the Scot Van Pelt show on the eve of National Signing Day and decided his athletic and academic future. He concluded that he will be attending USC's crosstown rival, UCLA. Other than USC and UCLA, he was choosing between Florida State and Arizona. Burton is a local kid from the USC minor league team, Junipero Serra.

In the final 247sports rankings, Burton was rated as a four-star recruit and the number six safety in the class. According to 247sport's crystal ball predictions, UCLA was the favorite by 14%, but everyone I talked to said it was going to be a close race between the two schools.

This is a big loss for USC, because they only have one defensive back signed in this class, teammate C.J. Pollard. This goes without saying, but Burton would have been a huge commit. He has a rare combination of true speed and power. He has the ability to play either free safety or strong safety.

USC will now have to wait for CB Jack Jones commitment, to see if they will be able to sign a second defensive back in this class. Many experts have Jones committing to USC, but tomorrow fans will just have to sit back and watch his commitment.

Here is the current class of 2016: