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The USC Trojans Class of 2021 football recruiting is a good one, there are no ifs, ands or buts about it. With that being said, and as the printers slowly cooled down from a frenzy of a day on the Early Signing Day period, we look to some other players who had the Trojans in the mix along their recruiting journey.
None more polarizing than QB Jake Garcia. A former longtime USC commit, Garcia famously moved east to be able to play his high school football senior season, transferring a couple of times to try and play football in Georgia for his senior season.
Then, with Miller Moss committed and rumored heavy interest in Utah QB Jaxson Dart, Garcia backed off his commitment to USC and began to look at other options.
After Dart officially pulled the trigger on his USC pledge, lending truth to the rumors, Garcia made his decision as well.
Garcia pledged to the Miami Hurricanes late on Wednesday evening and in doing so, became the second-highest-rated recruit to ever sign with the Hurricanes at the quarterback position.
So Garcia is now a Hurricane and Dart is officially a Trojan, USC fans can move on and wish Garcia the best but hope for even better with Dart at the helm.
Dart will ultimately compete with Moss for reps once Kedon Slovis is likely in the NFL but it seems that Dart has the chops to do such a thing. A relative unknown when the season began, Dart rocketed up the recruiting rankings and finished as the No. 103 ranked prospect overall.
That’s a huge rise for any player let alone a quarterback and in the process, he was named Mr. Utah Football for the 2020 season. Evaluated in November of this year, 247Sports’ West Region Recruiting Analyst Blair Angulo had this to say about Dart:
Well-built, sturdy frame and prototypical size for the position. Strong lower half and above average physical tools. Accurate passer with great feel for the game. Shows very good arm strength and timing. Versatility to operate different looks. Displays tremendous touch and anticipation to fit throws between levels. Athletic and gritty enough to run for tough yardage. Laser focused and flashes all the intangibles necessary. Can sustain zip on his throws when rolling outside the pocket and changes arm angles under pressure. Could continue to improve pre-snap reads and reel in tendency to aim for the home run. Potential multi-year starter at elite Power Five level and projects as future NFL Draft selection.
According to MaxPreps, Dart put up gaudy statistics in leading his Corner Canyon High School team to an undefeated 14-0 record this fall. He led his team to a No. 1 ranking in Utah and a No. 8 overall ranking among all high school teams in the country. His final statistical showing looks like it’s straight out of a video game:
Passing: 240-345, 4,691 yards, 67 touchdowns, 4 interceptions
Rushing: 128 carries, 1,195 yards, 6 touchdowns, 1 fumble lost
Welcome to the big show, Jaxson, you certainly deserve it and will absolutely fit right in after an amazing 2020. Let’s FIGHT ON!