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Another week, another 4-star commit for USC as the Trojans' momentum in this 2021 recruiting class continues.
Four-star ATH Julien Simon (Lincoln High School/Tacoma, Wash.) announced his commitment to USC on Sunday on his Instagram account. His other finalists were Oregon, Washington, Michigan, Cal, Texas and Stanford.
The Trojans are recruiting him as an inside linebacker, making him the first at that position in this class. USC also has a commitment from 4-star outside linebacker Ma'a Gaoteote after not signing any LBs in the 2020 cycle.
In making his announcement on Instagram Live with Jordan Schultz, Simon noted that academics, athletics and social life were the key factors in his decision.
"I feel like no other school put those three things together better than USC," he said.
He also noted that he took an unofficial visit back in October and the thought of playing in the Coliseum was a major selling point for him.
"There's a lot of history there -- the Olympics being played there -- it's a great environment to be in on a game day, in the city of LA. It's a crazy environment there, and the media, everything -- LA is just a beautiful place," he said.
Simon is ranked the No. 108 overall prospect in this class, making him the fourth Trojans commit ranked at least that high along with WR Quaydarius Davis (No. 21), QB Jake Garcia (No. 23) and Gaoteote (No. 92). Overall, USC now has 11 commits with eight 4-star prospects and six Rivals250 prospects, including the aforementioned top-100 players, Beavers (No. 171) and RB Brandon Campbell (No. 200).
And with the news Sunday, USC moved up to No. 7 in the Rivals recruiting rankings continuing to maintain a consistent presence inside the top 10.
RELATED: Commitment Analysis: What is USC getting in newest 4-star commit Julien Simon? | See how USC's staff and fellow commits reacted to the news on Twitter
USC was Simon's first offer late in his freshman year heading into his sophomore year. That has always carried significance for him, even as he went through something of a lull in communication with the program after the offseason coaching changes on the defensive side.
"First offer. It was a blessing. It was kind of surreal, it was kind of crazy getting an offer from USC. Being my first, I was so happy," he told TrojanSports.com back in February.
"I can't appreciate them enough for that because recruiting kind of took off just from that. I appreciate the opportunity they gave me being the first ones. I always show them love for that."
His lead recruiter back then was Johnny Nansen, who was let go after last season. Eventually, though, new cornerbacks coach and ace recruiter Donte Williams picked up that role and he, defensive coordinator Todd Orlando and defensive graduate assistant Michael Hutchings all helped close the deal with Simon.
"Just the relationships I have with them, it was top-notch," Simon said Sunday during his announcement. "They're kind of a newer staff, but I feel like they really trust and believe in me. It was more about me as a person because the football thing is going to take care of itself if you work hard at it, and they really tried to recruit me as a person and that's one thing I'll say set them apart."
At Lincoln HS, Simon had 32 tackles, 4 interceptions, 2 sacks and 2 tackles for loss, but he also made a major impact on the offensive side, catching 83 passes for 1,033 yards and 12 touchdowns and rushing for 138 yards and 7 TDs.
He'll make his impact on the defensive side for the Trojans, though, and so far that new defensive staff is putting a nice stamp on this recruiting class. Overall, USC has landed eight commitments since March 11.
The class so far now includes Simon, Davis, Garcia, Gaoteote, Beavers, Campbell, 4-star DT Jay Toia, 4-star safety Calen Bullock, 3-star safety Xamarion Gordon, 3-star OG Maximus Gibbs, and 3-star OT Mason Murphy.
And the buzz is that more commits are on the way. For more about that and what we're hearing, check out the latest intel on our Trojan Talk message board.
