Father confirms 5-star CB Chris Steele 'planning to enroll' at USC
Norm Steele, the father of 2019 5-star cornerback Chris Steele, confirmed to TrojanSports.com on Wednesday that his son is "planning to enroll" at USC.
This story has been developing all week and Adam Maya reported on Trojan Talk on Monday that this was the expected outcome.
Additionally, Adam Gorney reports that Steele is already working on the necessary paperwork with USC and that it could be finalized by Friday, also according to his father.
Steele committed to the Trojans last summer before de-committing in October. He eventually signed with Florida and went through spring practice with the Gators before returning to California and deciding he needed to transfer.
He publicly committed to Oregon soon thereafter, at which time USC didn't have a scholarship spot in the 2019 class available. That has since changed with the expectation that at least one member of the Trojans' 2019 signing class will not qualify academically.
Steele visited Oregon last week and was on campus at USC on Monday meeting with the coaches, as was fellow high-profile 5-star transfer Bru McCoy, who had initially signed with the Trojans before quickly transferring to Texas in January.
While McCoy has not made a public announcement about his future, Maya has reported here that he is returning to USC.
Steele, who starred at nearby St. John Bosco High School, was ranked the No. 3 cornerback and No. 19 overall prospect in the 2019 class. He was at one point the face of USC's 2019 class and an active recruiter for the program before his de-commitment, at which time he cited concerns about the Trojans' recent development of defensive backs.
USC hired new DBs coach Greg Burns this offseason, but Steele nonetheless announced his decision to attend Florida during the All-American Bowl in San Antonio, Texas, on Jan. 5. Steele announced in early May he was leaving Florida, with a report by the Gainesville Sun stating that he had unsuccessfully requested a change of roommate prior to that roommate being accused of sexual assault. Steele formally left the program soon after news broke of the allegations against Florida freshman quarterback Jalon Jones. Jones was not charged but also left the university.
This is the latest chapter in an unpredictable recruitment that also included an earlier public commitment to UCLA and him being linked to at least one other program as a rumored silent commit.
Steele, who had announced his commitment to Oregon on Twitter in mid May, removed that tweet recently.
McCoy, meanwhile, became the face of USC's class when he committed to the Trojans as an early enrollee at the All-American Bowl. Ranked the No. 1 athlete and No. 12 overall prospect in the country, the Mater Dei HS star left for Texas soon after Kliff Kingsbury departed USC following a brief stint as offensive coordinator to become the head coach of the Arizona Cardinals.
Now, within the span of two weeks, USC has added back two of the top prospects in the 2019 class.
USC had no 5-star 2019 recruits once McCoy left and finished with its lowest mark in the Rivals recruiting rankings -- 19th -- since the start of the team rankings in 2002. It is unclear if the additions will retroactively reflect in the rankings (Rivals did move McCoy to Texas' class after his transfer).
But more importantly for the Trojans, the program has some positive momentum after a turbulent offseason and slow start to the 2020 recruiting cycle.
To put these developments in further perspective, assuming everything is finalized as expected with McCoy and Steele, USC will go from having just two of the top 20-ranked 2019 California prospects to doubling that number and ending up with three of the top five in-state recruits in McCoy (No.2), Steele (No. 3) and defensive end Drake Jackson (No. 5), as per the Rivals rankings. To extend it further, the Trojans end up with four of the top 10 on that list (WR Kyle Ford at No. 9) and eight of the top 36.
Steele, who will petition the NCAA for a waiver for immediate eligibility, would have a prime opportunity to compete for a starting role if that waiver is granted.
USC returns virtually no experience at cornerback. Redshirt sophomore Greg Johnson (15 tackles, 3 pass break-ups and a fumble recovery) got a brief opportunity to replace veteran Isaiah Langley last season, but he struggled and soon fell out of favor again. Johnson briefly entered the NCAA Transfer Portal himself prior to spring practice before returning to the Trojans.
Sophomore Olaijah Griffin, redshirt freshman Isaac Taylor-Stuart, 4-star early enrollee Max Williams and USC's other 2019 newcomers will compete for the two starting cornerback spots.