Less than a week before the early signing period, which starts Dec. 15, USC has just four commitments for the 2022 recruiting class with one being a punter.
Five prospects have de-committed since new coach Lincoln Riley took over last week, which is not a bad sign -- likely more of a reflection of different preferences from the new coaching staff.
But Riley has a lot of work to do to rally this Trojans recruiting class, as most prospects these days opt to lock in their college futures during the early signing period rather than the traditional National Signing Day in February.
Riley has been active since touching down in Los Angeles, picking up a commitment from five-star RB Raleek Brown and visiting prospects in Nevada, Georgia, Texas and here locally while hosting a big recruiting event on campus last Sunday night.
The Trojans' top targets are pretty clear at this point -- what is not so clear is how many of them Riley and his staff can land by next Wednesday.
As a quick refresher -- quick because there isn't much to it -- here's how USC's commitment list looks right now:
-Five-star RB Raleek Brown (Mater Dei HS) -- No. 1-ranked APB, No. 17 overall national prospect
-Four-star CB Fabian Ross (Bishop Gorman HS/Las Vegas, Nev.) -- No. 26 CB, No. 236 overall national prospect
-Three-star DE Devan Thompkins (Edison Senior HS/Stockton, Calif.) -- No. 34 WDE
-Two-star P Atticus Bertrams (Australia)
USC ranks No. 96 in the Rivals team rankings as of Thursday. That will change, of course. It should be a wild handful of days.
Here are the 10-ish USC priority targets fans should pay attention to over the next week ...
RELATED: See USC's full official visitor list for this weekend
1. Five-star CB Domani Jackson (Mater Dei HS)
Jackson was committed to USC from last January until Nov. 14 when he backed off his pledge, but the Trojans are trending well again now that Riley and defensive coordinator Alex Grinch are in place.
Jackson was at USC's recruiting event on campus Sunday night along with LSU cornerback transfer Eli Ricks, as the Trojans are working to sell the two on being a duo in the defensive backfield. Jackson will be back Sunday for another extended look at the hometown program.
He is deciding between USC and Alabama, and the Trojans are looking a lot better than they did a couple weeks ago.
2. Four-star WR CJ Williams (Mater Dei HS)
The previous coaching staff just couldn't compel the local standout and so he committed to Notre Dame back in August, but a lot has changed since then, of course.
With Riley, USC has one of the most accomplished offensive coaches in college football now and the Trojans are making a strong final push for Williams. He was also at the recruiting event Sunday on campus, he had an in-home visit with the Trojans coaches on Wednesday night and he'll be back later this weekend for an official visit.
Wide receiver has become a pressing need for the Trojans in this class with none committed, star Drake London moving onto the NFL and a very unsettled depth chart left behind. Williams could walk into a major opportunity next season if he decides to flip to the Trojans.
A week ago, we would have also had Servite HS five-star WR Tetairoa McMillan on this list, but there does not seem to be much traction for the Trojans at this point with the Oregon commit.
3. Four-star OT Josh Conerly (Rainier Beach HS/Seattle, Wash.)
Conerly isn't signing until February, so USC has time still to keep working on their top offensive line target.
Offensive tackle was a primary need in this recruiting class and the Trojans are light on leads at this point, making Conerly one of the most important prospects in this recruiting cycle for USC. He's already taken a couple trips to campus and the Trojans will surely look to get him back for an official visit before National Signing Day.
Michigan looks like a top challenger for Conerly, Alabama, Oklahoma and Texas are still consideration, while he'll need to time to reevaluate Oregon and Washington after coaching changes there.
Expect Conerly to become the primary focus for USC after this early signing period.
