Commitment Analysis: What landing 5-star Korey Foreman means for USC

Five-star defensive end Korey Foreman has been the predominant USC recruiting storyline since before this 2021 cycle really truly began.

As the Trojans struggled to the finish line of the 2020 recruiting class, the attention had already turned to Foreman. His early commitment to Clemson last January sent further panic reverberating throughout the USC fan base that yet another can't-miss local prospect was going to get away. But Foreman backed off that pledge in April, and for the past eight-plus months everyone who follows recruiting has been trying to read between the lines of this visit or that visit, this interview and that interview, the storyline that he wanted to play with LSU-bound Maason Smith, the thought that he might want to stay home after all, the late visit to Clemson as Tigers buzz reignited anew.

It all led to Saturday, as Foreman ended any remaining suspense and announced live during the All-American Bowl TV special on NBC that he is coming to USC -- officially.

Foreman is the highest-ranked USC commit/signee since the Trojans landed Amon-Ra St. Brown in the 2018 class, who like Foreman was also the No. 3-ranked national prospect.

Securing Foreman is a massive boost to an already strong Trojans recruiting class, as the program has fully rebounded from its struggles in the 2020 recruiting cycle to land firmly inside the national top 10 this class.

But that's all obvious -- let's take a deeper look at why Foreman is such a game-changing force and how he can impact the Trojans moving forward. Our Alec Simpson takes us inside the film room and Rivals analyst Adam Gorney delivers his in-depth scouting report.

RELATED: Full story on Korey Foreman's USC decision

It's no secret the paramount concern for USC fans when it comes to recruiting is the lack of high-profile recruiting battles the Trojans have won on either side of the line in recent years.

USC just parted ways with offensive line coach Tim Drevno on Friday, and while it may not have been the driving factor it didn't help that the Trojans had signed just two 4-star OL prospects the last two years and seven 3-star prospects.

On the defensive side, USC signed three 3-star defensive linemen last cycle (though DE Tuli Tuipulotu immediately outplayed that rating this fall) before parting ways with former defensive line coach Chad Kauha'aha'a. The early returns for first-year DL coach Vic So'oto, meanwhile, are encouraging -- on the field and on the recruiting trail.

In this 2021 class, he's managed to keep 4-star DT Jay Toia despite a late push from UCLA to sway him off his long-standing Trojans commitment, also signed 3-star DE Colin Mobley (Hyattsville, Md.) last month -- Mobley, like Tuipulotu before him, will be viewed as a 3-star wildcard until he shows what he can do on the field -- and landed former Rivals100 DT Ishmael Sopsher (a 4-star prospect in 2019) as a transfer from Alabama.

But again, the perception of this defensive line class was going to hinge on Foreman, and landing him is a massive victory for So'oto, who upon being hired last February quickly went to work building a connection and trust with Foreman even when he was committed to Clemson. As Foreman told us, he had seen coaches come and go in recent years at USC (So'oto is the third DL coach in as many years for the program) and he was naturally skeptical at the start, but So'oto earned his confidence and broke through those apprehensions.

He deserves significant credit for that. Certainly, this was an all-hands-on-deck recruitment from the USC staff, but So'oto had to play a lead role as Foreman's future position coach. It wasn't a perfect defensive line class as USC lost out on 4-star target Aaron Armitage in a very close recruiting battle with Stanford, but Foreman was always the biggest priority and here he is.

While the national perception is that USC is a longshot at best, the Trojans also haven't given up their pursuit of fellow 5-star DE JT Tuimoloau, the No. 6 overall national prospect out of Bellevue, Wash.

The 5-star defensive end should be a factor immediately next season, playing opposite his former Corona Centennial HS teammate Drake Jackson. While Jackson moved from a traditional defensive end role to a stand-up pass-rushing outside linebacker spot this year, it's unclear exactly how Foreman will be deployed up front. But ultimately, he's here to rush the passer and in some, form or fashion that's what he'll be doing.

While USC loses star nose tackle Marlon Tuipulotu to the NFL draft and filling that void inside will be a challenge for the defense, the potential of the pass rush with Jackson, Foreman, DE Tuli Tuipulotu, OLB Hunter Echols and DL Nick Figueroa is highly intriguing.