Every time USC's 2020 recruiting class is brought up in a question to coach Clay Helton, even in the context of lauding the Trojans' impressive 2021 recruiting resurgence, he reverts back to a familiar reframing.

It was a small class of 12 signees, capped by scholarship limitations. It was focused on offensive and defensive linemen, which he consistently adds every time -- including again Wednesday -- "is not very sexy in a lot of eyes." It filled needs. Etc.

So, no, Helton wasn't going to be the one to put the Trojans' recruiting turnaround in comparative perspective on National Signing Day, as USC added 4-star Rivals100 linebacker Raesjon Davis to punctuate and likely wrap up its 2021 class and stay firm at No. 8 in the Rivals rankings.

Asked about the Trojans' "Take Back the West" recruiting mantra and whether he thought they accomplished that, he said simply, "I think we had success in areas that we needed. For us, I was very proud of today."

RELATED: Clay Helton's full comments on National Signing Day | USC lands Rivals100 LB Raesjon Davis | Scouting reports and film room review on what Davis brings to the Trojans | Rivals video interview with Helton | Video interview with Davis after his formal signing ceremony

But if Helton won't say it, the raw numbers will.

USC finished in a tie for 71st in the 2020 Rivals recruiting rankings with Louisiana Tech -- dead last in the Pac-12 -- while signing just one Rivals250 prospect and only one of the top 25 in-state prospects.

The Trojans' limited available scholarships last year were a real factor, most certainly. It was going to be a small class one way or another. They also did land some nice prospects, and a couple look to already be outplaying their recruiting ranking. But none of that accounts for the ones they missed, that they failed to attract a single defensive back, running back or quarterback despite hoping to do so, and that such a rich crop of Southern California talent mostly got away.

That is the more common framing most apply to the 2020 class (and it's not a knock on the recruits that USC did sign). It's also what makes this 2021 haul so significant and noteworthy.

One really has to be judged against the other to truly understand what took place this past year.

Helton's Trojans were staring down a substantial perception problem, and the tenor around USC recruiting was such that the head coach was not even made available to media last National Signing Day. A lot of recruiting is about momentum, and the Trojans had none. Worse, they had the opposite -- top local recruits seeing other top recruits flee the area for college.

We said in this space a year ago that the 2020 recruiting struggles could be overcome -- because it was going to be a small class regardless, limiting the impact to some degree -- but only if the program majorly rebounded immediately in the 2021 class. That seemed like a monumental "if" at the time.

And yet, here USC is, with a familiar top-10 national recruiting class (second in the Pac-12 to Oregon), featuring 15 Rivals250 prospects (including 4 top-100 signees and 8 top-120 guys), and led by 10 of the top 25 in-state prospects (or 12 of the top 30). That doesn't factor in four potentially impactful transfers in defensive tackle Ishmael Sopsher (from Alabama), safety Xavion Alford (Texas), running back Keaontay Ingram (Texas) and wide receiver K.D. Nixon (Colorado). Add those guys in -- all former high-ranked recruits in their own right -- and it's an impressive top to bottom 26-man class.

Furthermore, the Trojans not only landed the No. 3-ranked player in this class in 5-star defensive end Korey Foreman (who was ranked No. 1 for much of the recruiting cycle) but they already have a commitment from the No. 2 national prospect in the 2022 class in 5-star cornerback Domani Jackson.

To get around to the point of all that, the entire narrative of USC recruiting was flipped in a year -- like few thought was possible.

That said, though, maybe Helton played it right Wednesday in not treating it like a victory lap. Ultimately for Trojans fans, a top-8 recruiting class is merely casual expectation rather than cause for celebration. For a program that has five times landed the No. 1 class in the country since 2004, the bar is what it is.

USC's finishes in the Rivals recruiting rankings, which started in 2002:

1st -- 2004, 2005, 2006, 2010, 2015

2nd-- 2007

3rd -- 2003, 2018

4th -- 2009, 2011

6th -- 2017

8th-- 2008, 2012, 2021

10th -- 2014, 2016

13th -- 2002, 2013

18th -- 2019

71st -- 2020

No, fans aren't going to forget that glaring outlier of 2020, but what the USC coaching and recruiting staffs made certain is that it's now effectively moot in the public conversation moving forward. The question, at least in recruiting circles and among prospects and their families, is no longer “Can USC recruiting rebound?” It’s “Can a top-8 finish springboard into a top-5 or top-3 finish this next class?” The conversation is now about where Trojans recruiting goes from here — no longer where it had to come from this past year.

Before leaving that matter behind entirely, though, the turnaround does need to be put in full perspective one final time to appreciate how the Trojans got here.

And on that point, Helton did hit the mark with his comments Wednesday.

"I think the resources that we were given by Mike Bohn and Brandon Sosna and the administration that really helped us from a personnel standpoint, a recruiting standpoint, a Name, Image and Likeness standpoint and just kind of rebranding ourself, I thought was extremely important," Helton said. "... I think there was significant changes. I go back to those resources -- I know I keep on harping on it. I thought we had a very talented individual in [director of player personnel] Spencer Harris and [director of player development] Gavin Morris, but they're only a couple guys and to be able to bolster that recruiting group just from a personnel standpoint in the room, just sheer bodies, helps.

"And then to be able to acquire some of the technological side, the artistic side of recruiting, with graphic design specialists, with video production specialists, that's an investment that has to be made. And then you go into the staffing to be able to acquire, I think, really elite recruiters. ... So that combination, yeah, it does, it feels different. And obviously you can see the benefits that we've had through this year with those guys."

It was not long after Bohn was hired as athletic director, with Sosna joining as his right-hand man, that they began addressing the Trojans' lagging infrastructure and severely undermanned recruiting staff.

It wasn't like it was any mystery that USC's recruiting department was significantly short-staffed relative to its peers. The questions would get asked, and yet the problem perpetually remained as if there was no possible path toward a solution.

Then suddenly, with a new athletics administration, there were answers. New positions were created like director of high school relations -- which sounds kind of essential for a recruiting operation. Graphic designers were added. Football-specific videographers were hired for the first time. Etc.

USC recruiting maybe isn't to this point without those moves and certainly has a higher upside moving forward because of them.

And that growth continues as the Trojans plucked Marshall Cherrington from Cal last month to be their director of recruiting strategy -- another new position that seems like an awfully useful responsibility on which to have someone dedicated. USC also made a run at Texas' director of recruiting Bryan Carrington when it saw an opportunity in recent weeks, and it was learned Thursday that Carrington is taking USC’s offer to fill an offensive analyst role (and contribute to recruiting).

Then of course there were the changes on the football staff. Again, it was a familiar talking point around the program that former defensive coordinator Clancy Pendergast was, well, not immensely invested in recruiting. The defensive staff as a whole had languished in that regard, bottoming out entirely as USC signed only three defensive players in total last cycle (and none rated a 4-star). That is almost inconceivable to consider.

In its place, the hiring of an entirely new defensive staff involved some very strategic hires -- none more impactful than the power play to poach cornerbacks coach Donte Williams away from Oregon. Williams was the lead recruiter for Foreman, Davis, another top-100 prospect in wide receiver Kyron Ware-Hudson, fellow 4-star standouts in linebacker Julien Simon, cornerbacks Ceyair Wright, Prophet Brown and Jaylin Smith, and he teamed with coach Craig Naivar on 4-star safeties Anthony Beavers, Calen Bullock and Xamarion Gordon.

In all, the Trojans signed seven Rivals250 defensive standouts this cycle.

USC recruiting definitely isn't here without those moves and the hiring of Williams in particular.

And finally, the new Trojans administration took a proactive approach to the expected changes permitting student-athletes to profit off their Name, Image and Likeness, creating an in-house production company BLVD Studios to help promote players' branding potential. Several top recruits, including Foreman, have mentioned that as an impressive piece of the overall presentation. As NIL legislation is formally enacted and becomes an active incentive for college athletes, that arm of the operation will only grow in importance.

"Obviously, this brand is exceptional and it represents the greatest tradition of excellence there is in college football in my opinion," Helton said, motioning to the USC logo on his shirt Wednesday. "You always respect this brand, but you fight like hell for innovation, and recruiting has become very innovative and it changes by the second. To have a president and an athletic director be able to say, you know what, let's give coach exactly what he needs to be able to push forward, I mean, that makes you feel good and it shows investment in the program."

So to bring this all back around, no, that No. 8 recruiting finish isn't the ultimate point here -- simply changing the conversation so dramatically is the win because of what it might now allow USC to do moving forward. The standard and expectations haven't changed, but they're now back in play again after a perilous detour that could have lasted much longer than a year.

Fans don't have to relinquish their doubts or questions about Helton to embrace those points (although he surely deserves a share of the credit, because for whatever his many critics think of him, he resonates with recruits and their families and is very involved in that side of things).

Ultimately, the reasons for USC fans to feel good on this National Signing Day are the changes and additions throughout the program that made this recruiting rebound possible -- and that now make those hopes for an even higher finish in 2022 possible as well.

After all, recruiting is all about momentum -- and suddenly USC has a ton of it.

That was perhaps the most salient point Helton made Wednesday, when he was asked if he thought landing Foreman -- a 5-star sure-thing who spurned Clemson and the SEC to stay home -- would have an impact on future classes.

"Oh yeah, I thought it helped with this one right off the bat. January 2 was a big day. It, one, showed other guys that here's one of the best players in the world and he's staying right here to accomplish all of his dreams and feel[s] like he can get everything accomplished he wants to right here at USC," Helton said. "And when that happens and other guys want to join forces -- they talk and they visit together -- it's probably a big reason why Ceyair is with us today and Raesjon is with us today. And it will affect that '22 class, when you see the guys that are coming in this year. There's a lot of West Coast kids that look at it and go, 'Man, something special's happening down there. I want to be a part of it with those guys.'"

What a difference a year makes.

5-star DE Korey Foreman (Corona Centennial HS) -- No. 3 national prospect

4-star TE Michael Trigg (Carrollwood Day School/Tampa, Fla.) -- No. 70

4-star LB Raesjon Davis (Mater Dei HS) -- No. 84

4-star WR Kyron Ware-Hudson (Mater Dei HS) -- No. 88

4-star CB Ceyair Wright (Loyola HS) -- No. 105

4-star QB Jaxson Dart (Corner Canyon HS/Kaysville, Utah) -- No. 108

4-star QB Miller Moss (Bishop Alemany HS) -- No. 110

4-star CB Prophet Brown (Monterey Trail HS/Elk Grove, Calif.) -- No. 118

4-star S Calen Bullock (Muir HS) -- No. 131

4-star LB Julien Simon (Lincoln HS/Tacoma, Wash.) -- No. 145

4-star RB Brandon Campbell (Lamar Consolidated HS/Houston, Texas) -- No. 192

4-star WR Michael Jackson III (Desert Pines HS/Las Vegas, Nev.) -- No. 196

4-star CB Jaylin Smith (Bishop Alemany HS) -- No. 222

4-star OT Mason Murphy (JSerra HS) -- No. 231

4-star S Xamarion Gordon (Warren HS) -- No. 240

4-star S Anthony Beavers (Narbonne HS)

4-star DT Jay Toia (Grace Brethren HS)

3-star DE Colin Mobley (DeMatha HS/Hyattsville, Md.)

3-star TE Lake McRee (Lake Travis HS/Austin, Texas)

3-star OT Ty Buchanan (Calallen HS/Corpus Christi, Texas)

3-star OG Maximus Gibbs (St. John Bosco HS)

3-star WR Joseph Manjack (Tomball Memorial HS/Tomball, Texas)

Incoming transfers:

DT Ishmael Sopsher (Alabama,) -- No. 72 national prospect in 2019 class

S Xavion Alford (Texas) -- No. 139 in 2020 class

WR K.D. Nixon (Colorado) -- 4-star prospect in 2017 class

RB Keaontay Ingram (Texas) -- No. 218 in 2018 class **committed/not signed yet