Commitment Analysis: Scouting report on new 2022 CB commit Fabian Ross

USC cornerbacks coach Donte Williams sent out a tweet Sunday assuring fans that the Trojans staff wasn’t resting after its big weekend adding to the 2021 recruiting haul and was already hard at work on the 2022 class.

Sure enough, a day later the Trojans picked up a commitment from 4-star ATH (cornerback) Fabian Ross (Bishop Gorman HS/Las Vegas, Nev.) on Monday.

Ross is the fourth commit for USC in the 2022 cycle.

We take a closer look at what his commitment means for USC, and Rivals analyst Adam Gorney gives his scouting report on Ross.

Read the full story on Fabian Ross's commitment here

First and foremost, it means Williams — the Trojans’ ace recruiter — is on quite a roll.

He was the lead recruiter for both 4-star 2021 cornerback Ceyair Wright and 5-star defensive end Korey Foreman, who announced their USC decisions on Saturday.

Williams’ impact is far-reaching beyond just his cornerback room, but he’s certainly met his objectives there while landing three 4-star Rivals250 corners in the 2021 class in Wright, Jaylin Smith and Prophet Brown, and now getting an early start on 2022. USC is also a top contender for 5-star 2022 CB Domani Jackson, the No. 2 national prospect out of Mater Dei HS, who is the top overall priority this next cycle.

It was notable that Jackson reacted to Ross’ commitment announcement on Twitter.

It’s not clear yet how many cornerbacks USC will look to add in 2021. With Olaijah Griffin now off to the NFL and fellow starter Chris Steele draft-eligible after next season, the youth movement is coming sooner than later at the position for the Trojans and that foundation for the future is already looking very strong. But Jackson, of course, is a must-get for USC in the way that Foreman was this class.

Overall, USC now has four 2022 commits with 4-star Rivals100 LB Junior Tuihalamaka (Bishop Alemany HS), 4-star Rivals250 QB Devin Brown (Queen Creek HS/Queen Creek, Ariz.) and 3-star center Dylan Lopez (Rancho Verde HS).

Ross’ commitment is also further noteworthy as he is one of four Bishop Gorman prospects high on USC’s list of 2022 priorities, along with Rivals100 S Zion Branch, Rivals100 OLB Cyrus Moss and 4-star OT Jake Taylor.

Film analysis from TrojanSports.com’s Alec Simpson:

“USC landed a commitment Monday afternoon from one of the top cover corners out west. Ross brings a solid amount of length to the cornerback spot at 6-foot, 184 pounds, and his work ethic in the weight room shows. Ross does a terrific job in man coverage tracking the hips of opposing receivers while also being able to track the football while still in the air. Ross is an absolute playmaker on the ball and has instinctual eyes. In his short time at Bishop Gorman, he’s recorded 3 interceptions and 3 passes deflected. Another portion of Ross’ game that doesn’t go unnoticed is his physicality. He has a physical presence for a corner that imposes a threat on opposing receivers. His ability to quickly break on the football is very intriguing.

“At 0:23 seconds on his sophomore highlight tape, Ross shows the ability to quickly backpedal while playing off his man. He has eyes on his man as he goes inside for a slant route and Ross sees the ball in the air then picks it off for an interception to the house for six. That ability to have those ball skills in space is what cornerbacks coach Donte Williams wants in his room.

“With another solid year of film, we could potentially see Ross landing in the Rivals250 rankings for the 2022 class. Overall, this is a terrific get out of Las Vegas and the Trojans are continuing to land top talent in their secondary.”