USC landed its third commit in the 2022 class as 3-star offensive lineman Dylan Lopez, out of Rancho Verde High School, announced his decision Friday afternoon.

Lopez joins 4-star linebacker Junior Tuihalamaka and 3-star quarterback Devin Brown as 2022 commits so far. The Trojans are taking him as a center.

Lopez's commitment seemed just a matter of time after the Trojans offered him in April, and on Friday, he decided he didn't want to wait any longer to make it official.

"I think the primary reason goes back to how COVID is going and especially in our state, in our county, Riverside over here, I don't really know what's the future of high school football for me," Lopez told TrojanSports.com soon after his announcement. "I'm still hoping that we play, but there is that chance that we may not play this season and I think it's a big concern -- for not just me but for my family too. So I feel like not knowing the future, this is a good time to make a commitment, especially to a school that's closer to home."

Lopez, who is 6-foot-3, 280 pounds, also had Power 5 offers from Oregon State, Kansas and Syracuse, and despite growing up a Trojans fan he wanted to keep an open mind in his recruitment. But it had been clear to him through the process that USC was an opportunity he couldn't pass up.

"I think ever since they recruited me I just developed a really good relationship with Coach Drev (offensive line coach Tim Drevno) and Coach V (offensive GA Viane Talamaivao). I talk to coach [Clay] Helton pretty frequently too, so I think just the relationship we've built I just feel really comfortable with them. I grew up a USC guy, but through the process I wanted to be the least biased as possible. I looked at all my options based off my relationship with the coaches and the football aspect of things -- not for emotional reasons. Even at that, I feel like USC was the fit for me.

"And also being able to compete early too, I think I'll have a good chance to come in there and compete early."

USC hasn't signed a true center since Justin Dedich in the 2018 class, but the Trojans took converted defensive lineman Gino Quinones in 2019 and moved him to center, and freshman Andrew Milek of the 2020 class to center this preseason as well.

"I've done my research. They haven't really signed a center since Justin Dedich. By the time I come in, Justin will be in his last year or be heading out, so ideally I'll be able to come in there and compete for a spot," Lopez said.

Between now and then, he is focused on giving himself the best shot at doing that.

"I think technique-wise I'm continuing to get better technically, but just continue to get faster and stronger," Lopez said. "That's the biggest thing -- continue to lift in the weight room and run. And learning more about the game. I know at the next level everyone's going to be relatively close when it comes down to athleticism and strength and all that -- it's the technical stuff that really separates those guys. So just all aspects, the physical aspect and mental aspect, just getting better at everything."

Film room breakdown by TrojanSports.com's Alec Simpson:

"Lopez is a physical and explosive interior offensive lineman who projects best at either offensive guard or center given his size at 6-foot-3, 275 pounds. He brings a ton of lower body power and is very explosive out of his stance with violent hands on his blocking assignment. Lopez also plays with light feet that allow him to drive through and finish his blocks on his opposition. He does a great job of staying low out of his stance and keeping his playing level low.

"His first play on tape has him at center, where he stays low and fires out after the ball is snapped. He picks up his blocking assignment which is a 3-tech defensive lineman and uses aggressive hands as well as explosion out of his lower body to finish a clean pancake block. That type of discipline and technique is what truly shows a fundamentally sound offensive lineman.

"In my opinion, Lopez is one of the most underrated offensive lineman out west and should see a huge rise in his stock after his junior tape this season. This is a terrific addition to USCs offensive line room."

Listed at 6-foot-3, 275 pounds, Lopez's strength is his athleticism and mobility, which is surely what stood out to Drevno and the coaching staff as a fit for the uptempo offense the Trojans run. That's been a trait they've prioritized in offensive line recruiting in general the last couple years.

After signing six offensive linemen in the 2020 class and holding four OL commits in the 2021 cycle, it's not clear yet how many offensive linemen the Trojans will seek to add in 2022 overall, but they have their center in place at least.

As for Lopez, Rivals analyst Adam Gorney gave his scouting report:

What's your overall assessment of Dylan Lopez as an offensive line prospect?

Gorney: "He plays center in high school mainly. He's an athletic kid, he uses his hands really well, he can move. He's not just a guy that eats up space in there. He can move a little bit, so I think those are the positives. He's not overly physical. He's not a kid who's just going to knock people over. He needs both arms to kind of get in there and really wrap you. He's only a 2022 kid so I don't want to be too critical about that because he's probably going to grow. He was 265 last year, he's probably 275-280 now, so he'll continue to be a kid if he can keep that athleticism who will be pretty impressive. But they plan mainly in kind of a spread offense, shotgun. [A.J.] Duffy is back there in a shotgun. It kind of mirrors what USC is doing a lot of where he's not going to have to block for all that long. So I think a nice pickup. He's probably not one of the best offensive linemen in the country, that's not the kind of commitment they're getting here, but he's a solid interior linemen who can play center, can play guard and has athleticism."

Right now he has no stars in our ratings, what do you foresee as his outcome there?

Gorney: "He's going to start as a mid-level 3 guy. Doesn't have a ton of offers either. I think he has like seven total offers. Maybe that's because a lot of people knew he wanted to go to USC and they just kind of moved on to other guys, but his quarterback has 25-30 offers so a lot of schools and a lot of coaches have seen Lopez too. He's a good looking kid. He's not massive, he's not going to blow you away physically, but he's a good looking kid who definitely has potential down the line if he continues to gain weight and be more physical in there to be kind of that low-level 4-star kid."