It feels odd because USC has played only three games and high school football has yet to start in the state of California this year, but the NCAA's early signing period is just 18 days away -- starting Dec. 16.

As recent years have shown, the overwhelming bulk of prospects choose to seal their college decisions during that time -- USC signed just one recruit on the traditional National Signing Day in February last year -- and that should especially be the case this year with the recruiting dead period (meaning no formal on-campus visits) extended until April).

That means the majority of the Trojans' 2021 recruiting class will be in place in less than three weeks.

USC presently sits No. 6 in the Rivals recruiting rankings with 21 public commits, but as we've noted on our premium Trojan Talk message board we expect a couple of those to fall out. The final number for this class remains flexible and a moving target, but it should end up in the 25ish range. That means USC should have around six more spots to work with, give or take.

So the Trojans likely won't be able to sign every player on this list, but these are who we believe to be the top 10 remaining targets for the program -- ranked in order.

There are always surprises -- there already has been several this recruiting cycle, like USC beating out Oklahoma and others for 4-star cornerback Prophet Brown, or flipping Notre Dame 4-star cornerback commit Philip Riley only to see him switch back to the Fighting Irish a few weeks later.

So don't be surprised if the final Trojans 2021 class includes a prospect who is not known to be on the public radar at this point, but this is a good working list based on our research and intel.

Also, two areas of need for the Trojans that may not necessarily be filled by this recruiting class are defensive line and linebacker -- we don't have any active uncommitted linebacker leads on this list, for instance, and the top defensive line targets are at the center of major national recruiting battles that could turn out any which way. Expect USC to patiently monitor the NCAA Transfer Portal and leave room to try to bring in a player or two at those key positions down the road.

With that said, here are the Trojans' top 10 2021 targets, ranked based on priority:

**Not subscribed? Get $75 worth of Nike gear when you sign up for a new discounted annual subscription (just $75 for the first year). Details here on our best promotion of the year!**

Korey Foreman is the No. 1-ranked player in the country and has been the Trojans' top priority throughout this recruiting cycle -- a process that has involved many twists and turns already for the 5-star standout. He was committed to Clemson from Jan. 26 to April 21, has taken self-guided visits to Georgia and LSU and then was set to return to Clemson this weekend. He also has a close bond with 5-star DT Maason Smith (Houma, La.) and has talked a lot about the two of them playing together, etc. Lately, there's been fresh buzz for Arizona State, which is selling Foreman on the NFL experience throughout its coaching staff. All the while, USC has always remained prominently in the conversation. It's believed his family would be happy to see him remain close to home, and one of his best friends is USC sophomore OLB Drake Jackson, who has been performing well in the Trojans' new defense. The Trojans are among the top contenders here, but this one will go down to the wire. Forman is expected to sign with his school of choice on Dec. 16 but not publicly announce until the All-American Bowl TV presentation on Jan. 2.

Latest update: Watch Rivals' video interview with Foreman from earlier this week

While we've heard plenty from Foreman these last few months about his recruitment, J.T. Tuimoloau does almost no interviews. He has not taken any visits and doesn't put much perspective out there for public consumption. All we know is that USC remains actively engaged in recruiting Tuimoloau, has consistent communication and continues to make him a top priority. Many have pegged Ohio State as the favorite for the defensive force, but again, that's not coming from Tuimoloau or his family. He is very close friends with USC linebacker commit Julien Simon, who has said previously he thinks the Trojans have a chance. Don't expect Tuimoloau to sign with a school until February.

Latest update: Julien Simon making recruiting pitch to 'best friend' J.T. Tuimoloau

USC does have two 4-star quarterbacks committed in this 2021 class in Jake Garcia and Miller Moss, but Jaxson Dart came on the Trojans' radar late during this fall and they are all in on the record-setting Utah QB. For his part, Dart didn't seem fazed by the presence of two other QB commits in the Trojans' class, and USC has made it clear to him they don't view him as a third option but rather an elite playmaker who would have every chance to come in and compete on equal footing. Dart saw his recruiting stock soar this fall while breaking the Utah single-season state record with 67 touchdown passes along with 12 rushing touchdowns and another state record with 5,867 total offensive yards. He is deciding between USC, Arizona State, UCLA, Washington State and BYU and expects to make his decision within the next month.

Latest update: Watch our in-depth video interview with Dart after the Utah 6A state championship game last week