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Buzz started mounting Monday with conflicting information coming from a variety of sources about some potentially huge recruiting news for USC, and with the smoke ultimately came the fire with multiple reports Tuesday morning that 5-star defensive end Korey Foreman has de-committed from Clemson.
The Athletic's Clemson reporter Grace Raynor first reported the news and Rivals recruiting analyst Adam Gorney independently confirmed it.
Foreman has not made a public announcement yet.
The Corona Centennial High School star defensive end is the No. 1-ranked overall prospect in the 2021 class and has been USC's top priority this cycle.
He committed to Clemson on Jan. 26, but many felt even with the early commitment that the door was still open for USC.
The wrecking ball defensive end had formed a prodigious duo with Drake Jackson in 2018 at Centennial, and with Jackson having emerged as a star already at USC after just one season, it always stood to reason that would be a major pull for Foreman. Considering their close friendship, it was something of a surprise when Foreman announced his Clemson commitment after his second visit there.
He sounded convinced at the time and totally at peace with his decision, but USC never relented in its recruitment and it was expected that Foreman would at least visit the Trojans at some point.
Clemson coach Dabo Swinney has made it a sticking point of not allowing commits to take visits. There were rumblings that matter played a factor, but it's unknown if that was the tipping point for Foreman's de-commitment. Foreman had expressed on Twitter last week, though, that the process had become stressful for him.
Whatever multitude of factors played into this decision, it's the biggest news in a 2021 recruiting cycle that had already been full of good momentum for the Trojans, and that fact probably didn't hurt either. The perception of USC among local prospects has changed significantly in the last few months.
The USC staff still has to do its part and close a deal. No subsequent decision is expected imminently from Foreman, and it's very possible he chooses to visit multiple schools once that becomes an option again, but the Trojans are certainly in a strong position now for the top prospect.
How good is the 5-star prospect? He was named the top defensive lineman at The Opening last year in Texas despite being the youngest competitor in the OL vs. DL drills and going up against some of the top prospects in the class ahead of him.
USC has recruited Centennial well. In addition to landing Jackson, the Trojans also signed linebacker Tuasivi Nomura and cornerback Jayden Williams out of the program in 2019 and landed 4-star Rivals100 WR Gary Bryant from Centennial in the 2020 class, so it's not just Jackson with whom Foreman has familiarity.
This is what he told us about his conversations with Jackson back in the fall:
"Every time I talk to him, he'll be like, let's say I'll have a Clemson shirt on, he'll be like, 'Take that boo boo stuff off and put on some 'SC gear.' Or I'll have on LSU stuff, 'Take that boo boo stuff off and bring yourself over here.' I mean, something you've just got to enjoy,'" Foreman said.
After a high-profile detour, those two (and USC fans, for that matter) can again at least envision the potential of what they could do together on the field if the Trojans are able to earn his commitment.
