BREAKING: 2020 OT Andres Dewerk goes in-depth on USC commitment
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A little more than a week ago USC had no offensive line commitments for this 2020 class. Now the Trojans have three, with 3-star Los Gatos HS offensive tackle Andres Dewerk announcing his pledge on Sunday.
Dewerk follows commitments from fellow 3-star OTs Andrew Milek (Brophy Prep/Chandler, Ariz.) on Friday and Joey Wright (Bishop Manogue HS/Reno, Nev.) last Saturday. Overall, the Trojans have landed five of their nine 2020 commitments in the last week and a half (plus a 2021 commit).
As for Dewerk, he made his decision after USC's second Elite Camp on Wednesday, silently committing to the staff at that time.
"[I told said], 'Look, it's a done deal -- I'm a Trojan. Let's get it.' They were just happy for me as you'd expect," Dewerk told TrojanSports.com. "I didn't realize it until after that I'm a Trojan now. It didn't hit me until after. … It's always been a big school [for me] since I was little. Watching Rey Maualuga and Clay Matthews and Brian Cushing play their college years at USC, it's kind of crazy to think that I'm here now."
Dewerk, listed at 6-foot-6, 295 pounds, got on USC's radar in late May when offensive line coach Tim Drevno stopped by a Los Gatos HS practice to evaluate him. An offer quickly followed, and the relationship grew.
In the end, Dewerk saw Drevno's extensive resume -- including stints at Stanford, Michigan and with the San Francisco 49ers -- as enough to convince him that USC was a place where his skills would be developed.
He also noticed that Drevno was making sure he got extra reps at the Elite Camp and took a special interest in working with him on his technique, which affirmed for him the Trojans' interest.
"We talk a lot and at the camp I had the player-coach relationship with him, which is always good. I feel like he's someone who can push me to my full potential," Dewerk said. "Coaching 20-plus years, coaching for the 49ers, he's just one of the best O-line coaches in college football. I think that's something that kind of puts him [up] there."
So what are the Trojans getting in Dewerk, who had 17 offers overall, including fellow Pac-12 programs UCLA, Colorado, Washington State, Oregon State and Arizona?
Dewerk offered an honest self-evaluation of his strengths and weaknesses at this point.
"Like everything in life, there's always something you can improve. I'll start with the bad things -- I've just got to improve and basically refine my technique. I feel right now overall I'm still that raw left tackle prospect that people put me out to be," he said. "I've got to refine my technique and just work on my footwork and as a lineman work on my punch -- that's something very essential to offensive line play. My strengths are that I have a great knee bend for my size. There's not very many guys 6-7, 300 pounds can bend the way I do and move the way I do.
"Another strength I have is not [necessarily] connected to football, but my mentality, how I just have that underdog mentality. I'm not really seen as a high prospect so I kind of want to prove myself."
While USC has been reeling in commitments over the last week in a half, all five new 2020 pledges are rated 3-star or 2-star prospects. That will resonate a certain way with fans, but Dewerk for one doesn't think that's a fair reflection of his potential.
"I actually do [feel underrated]," he said. "I see these 4-star guys and 5-star guys and I don't see them being any more better or talented than I am. A lot of 3-star recruits have some big impact on college football teams and go on to the NFL."
That's what USC is banking on -- the first part at least. After coming up short on OL needs in the 2019 recruiting cycle, the Trojans needed to fare better in 2020. It's unclear how many more offensive linemen they will seek to add in what is expected to be a small class overall due to scholarship limitations.
Overall, the Trojans are now up to nine 2020 commits.
Starting with the Trojans’ first Elite Camp of the month, they have picked up commitments from 2021 TE/WR Velltray Jefferson (Edison HS/Fresno), 2020 2-star DT Kyle Juergens (St. Margaret’s School/San Juan Capistrano), Wright, 3-star DT Kobe Pepe (St. John Bosco HS), Milek and now Dewerk.
USC also holds 2020 commitments from 4-star QB Bryce Young (Mater Dei HS), 4-star WR Joshua Jackson (Narbonne HS), 2-star kicker Parker Lewis (Saguaro HS/Scottsdale, Ariz.) and 3-star TE Jack Yary (Murrieta Valley HS).