Barring an unexpected late addition via the NCAA Transfer Portal, USC came up a running back short in its 2019 class, unable to rebound from Utah signee Jordan Wilmore's late de-commitment and find another back to pair with 3-star addition Kenan Christon.

So that need rolls over to the 2020 cycle, and the Trojans are already very active in that pursuit.

Their most recent running back offer went out this week to 4-star prospect Sam Adams II, from Eastside Catholic School in Sammamish, Wash.

Adams, who is ranked the No. 17 RB in the class, is already up to 38 offers, but USC is now firmly on his radar.

"USC has been a school I've seen highly of most my life so receiving the offer was a great feeling," Adams told TrojanSports.com.

Kansas State followed later in the week with an offer, but the USC offer remains the pinned tweet atop Adams' Twitter page, for what it's worth.

USC wide receivers coach Keary Colbert, who has become one of the Trojans' most important and aggressive recruiters, is the one who delivered the good news to Adams.

"They believe that I fit their offense very well and believe they can make me a top collegiate RB," he said.

Adams, listed at 6-foot-2, 200 pounds, averaged 9.9 yards per carry this fall while totaling 929 rushing yards and 5 touchdowns, according to Eastside Catholic's MaxPreps page. He also had 10 catches for 203 yards and 3 TDs.

He said he's been to USC once already and is hoping to get back for another look.

While the Trojans looks to be in the mix with the talented 2020 prospect, they have some work to do still. Adams said Ohio State, Washington and Oregon have been the most aggressive in his recruitment so far.

That said, he hasn't narrowed that ever-expanding offer list down yet.

"I have 38 offers, but I still need to take a lot of visits. So I don't [have] my top [schools] yet," he said. "I'm planning on checking out Texas, Texas A&M, Alabama, Clemson, Georgia, Penn State, USC again and possibly some others."

Curiously, USC's communication with another top 2020 4-star RB has cooled.

The Trojans got in early with Salpointe Catholic HS (Tucson, Ariz.) star Bijan Robinson, ranked the No. 7 RB in the class, when they offered him during his sophomore year.

Robinson grew up a huge fan of Reggie Bush and USC and has family in the Los Angeles area. All signs pointed to the Trojans being a top contender for Robinson.

Here's what he told us in September: "USC's always been my favorite. Reggie Bush is like my idol, so I've always been highly on USC most of my life."

Well, checking in with Robinson on Thursday, he said new USC running backs coach Mike Jinks has taken over as his lead recruiter, but the communication has been limited..

"To keep it honest, I haven't been communicating with them that much and I have not talked to the OC yet," he said of new USC play-caller Graham Harrell. "Communication is important when you really want to get to know how a coach is, but [I've] really not been talking to them."

He said Ohio State, Texas and UCLA have been the most active in his recruitment of late.

Robinson, who rushed for a ridiculous 2,400 yards and 35 touchdowns in helping Salpointe to the Arizona 4A state championship game in the fall (stats via MaxPreps), is up to 24 offers overall and is remaining open-minded about all his options.

Despite the current state of communication with USC, he did say the Trojans "still stand high at the moment."

But if they're truly interested, they clearly have some work to do.

USC has already cast a wide net for 2020 running backs, with Robinson one of the earliest offers and Adams the most recent.

Here's an overall look at the Trojans' RB offer list:

-5-star RB Zachary Evans, North Shore HS (Houston Texas), 6-0, 195, No. 1 RB in 2020 class

-5-star RB Kendall Milton, Buchanan HS (Clovis, Calif.), 6-1, 215, No. 2 RB in class

-5-star RB MarShawn Lloyd, DeMatha HS (Hyattsville, Md.), 5-10, 200, No. 3 RB in class

-4-star APB EJ Smith, Jesuit College Preparatory School (Dallas, Texas), 5-11, 194, No. 2 APB in class

-4-star ATH Cartavious Bigsby, Callaway HS (Hogansville, Ga.), 6-1, 195, No. 3 ATH in class

-4-star RB Bijan Robinson, Salpointe Catholic HS (Tucson, Ariz.), 6-1, 205, No. 7 RB in class

-4-star RB Seth McGowan, Potent HS (Mesquite, Texas), 6-0, 205, No. 11 RB in class

-4-star RB Blake Corum, St. Frances Academy (Baltimore, Md.), 5-9, 180, No. 14 RB in class

-4-star RB Sam Adams II, Eastside Catholic HS (Sammamish, Wash.), 6-2, 200, No. 17 RB in class

-3-star RB Jojuan Collins, Narbonne HS, 6-0, 205, No. 26 RB in class (Read our story from the fall on Collins)

-3-star APB Ty Jordan, West Mesquite HS (Mesquite, Texas), 5-9, 190, No. 34 APB in class (Read our recent update on Jordan)

-3-star ATH Mecose Todd, Villa Rica HS (Villa Rica, Ga.), 6-0, 195, No. 38 ATH in class

USC's most recent 2020 offer overall went out to 4-star safety Chris Thompson Jr., from Duncanville HS in Duncanville, Texas.

Thompson is listed at 6-2, 180, and ranked the No. 14 safety in the class.

His lead recruiter is Jinks, USC's new running backs coach who spent most of his football career in Texas.

How USC approaches Texas recruiting moving forward with Harrell, the former Texas Tech QB and North Texas OC, and Jinks will be an interesting storyline to monitor.

As Rivals' Sam Spiegelman reported, Fast Houston -- a 7-on-7 program from Houston, Texas -- is planning a trip to USC on March 9 before taking part in a tournament in LA the next day.

The team features 4-star USC 2020 cornerback target Dwight McGlothern and 4-star Trojans safety target Bryson Washington among other top prospects.

Jordan Berry, a 3-star 2020 defensive tackle from nearby Narbonne HS, announced his commitment to LSU.

Berry held a USC offer, but there was never really much traction between him and the Trojans. Berry told us in the fall that he was interested in going to school somewhere away from home.