USC fans were affixed to the All-American Bowl live show on NBC on Saturday afternoon with top targets Ceyair Wright and Korey Foreman set to announce their much-anticipated decisions.
Wright made it official with USC, choosing the Trojans over Notre Dame and other schools to fill out a very impressive 2021 defensive back recruiting class.
We take a closer look at what Wright's additions means for the Trojans, our Alec Simpson takes us inside the film room and Rivals analyst Adam Gorney delivers his detailed scouting report.
Wright is the final piece to a 2021 defensive back haul that includes six 4-star prospects -- five Rivals250 prospects -- and filled major needs after USC landed no DBs in the 2020 cycle.
Along with Wright, USC already signed Rivals250 cornerbacks Prophet Brown and Jaylin Smith, Rivals250 safeties Calen Bullock and Xamarion Gordon and fellow 4-star safety Anthony Beavers. Wright and Brown are both ranked among the top 8 cornerbacks in this class, while Smith is the No. 5 athlete, providing a strong foundation of talent at the position.
All six of those DB additions are in-state prospects, and all but Brown are local Los Angeles-area prospects as the Trojans not only addressed a major need but showed a strong rebound on keeping top local prospects at home.
As for Wright, he will jump into an interesting competition in 2021 as USC looks to fill the void left by Olaijah Griffin's departure to the NFL.
Returnees Isaac Taylor-Stuart and Dorian Hewett may have the advantage there, but Wright is athletic enough to compete at that field corner position.
Finally, it can't be said enough what an impact new CBs coach Donte Williams had on USC's recruiting rebound. Williams not only landed those three highly-rated corners, but he was involved in a number of other commitments like Bullock, Beavers, WR Kyron Ware-Hudson and others.
Williams has lived up to his billing as an ace recruiter and earned his recent promotion to associate head coach.
Film room evaluation by TrojanSports.com's Alec Simpson:
"Ceyair Wright is a dynamic playmaker at the cornerback spot with some length at 6-foot, 175 pounds. The major piece to Wright’s game that stands out is his ability to flip his hips and quickly change direction toward the football. Being able to change direction quickly and make plays on the football is one of many things that make the Loyola HS product a special player. He also does a nice job of sinking his hips in his backpedal and is an absolute ballhawk in making plays on the football. Wright played cornerback, receiver and was even a return specialist in high school. With the explosive speed he brings, it wouldn’t be a surprise if he gets a look as a return man at the next level.
"At 0:46 on his junior highlight tape, Wright is about 10 yards off the line of scrimmage. He does a nice job at sinking his hips in his backpedal, then quickly changing direction as the ball is being thrown, and the ball is picked off. That’s the kind of playmaker that USC will be excited to have in its secondary. With some more time in the weight room, Wright will be a solid addition to USC."