The most surprising name on USC's list of 18 early signees Wednesday was 3-star defensive tackle De'jon Benton, whose courtship by the Trojans flew under the radar while he remained publicly committed to Washington State.

Benton said the whole process really unfolded in the final week leading up to Early Signing Day, but it wasn't a hard decision for him to change his mind so late in his recruitment.

"They said they liked what [they] seen and they know that I'm [committed] to Wazzu, but they still want to see if I would consider coming to USC," Benton said of the Trojans' pitch. "That's my dream school, and I saw it as an opportunity. Plus, it's better for family. So I took it."

Benton, listed at 6-foot-3, 285 pounds, joins USC from Pittsburg High School right outside of Oakland.

He grew up watching the Trojans, along with his family, and had taken a trip to USC's campus over the summer just to check it out.