Taking stock of USC's 2021 recruiting class: Defensive backs

Committed: July 19

How he fits USC's needs: USC's most recent commit was a glimpse into Williams' recruiting ability. By all accounts -- including Brown's own -- the Trojans were not in the driver's seat at all in his recruitment until the week leading up to his commitment when Williams really closed the deal, selling Brown on the opportunity to come in and make an early impact. Initially pursued by programs -- including USC -- as a running back commit, Brown has the athleticism desired at the cornerback position and showed flashes of his potential there even though he wasn't targeted often last season. With the Trojans' current CB triumvirate getting older -- Olaijah Griffin and Isaac Taylor-Stuart are now in their third year of eligibility while Chris Steele is a sophomore -- the Trojans needed to replenish at this spot and set up the foundation for the future. Brown will join a competition that also includes Dorian Hewett, Jayden Williams and Adonis Otey, who are also looking to position for bigger roles as the depth chart clears out at the top in time.

Film room evaluation by TrojanSports.com's Alec Simpson: "Brown will be making the transition full-time to defensive back at the next level after doing a little bit of everything for his high school team. He has been an elite running back at the high school level, averaging 12.2 yards per carry last season (779 rushing yards and 11 TDs, according to MaxPreps) and 20.2 per reception (17 catches for 343 yards and 5 TDs). But with his size and skill set, he fits best at the defensive back position at the next level. Brown does a great job of staying patient out of his back peddle, especially at 0:35 on this highlight tape where his timing to break on the football was perfect to make the play and turn an interception for a touchdown. He plays with a high level of energy and passion which reflects well on tape with his competitiveness.

"Brown is an absolute beast in the weight room and it shows on film with his explosiveness at the running back position as well as his ability to jam receivers at the line of scrimmage. Brown should be somebody USC fans will see coming in making an immediate impact."

Rivals analyst Adam Gorney's scouting report: "I think a lot of guys want to play offense just because it's more glitz and glamour, but long-term a lot of those guys fizzle out and it's the defensive guys, the athletes who really shine in those settings. So I think it's a very smart move by him to move to defense, he's really good at corner, he can make an impact there, he's very instinctive, he's aggressive, he plays with a lot of confidence on both sides of the ball. ...

"He hasn't been tested against elite receivers at the high school level. He plays in Northern California, which has some quality players and Division I guys, but at USC and the aspirations they have, it's Pac-12 championship and going to play in the playoffs. So he does not see that level of talent in Northern California. I think that's the one question mark about him, but in terms of his talent, I think he can bait quarterbacks to throw bad passes and he can step in front of them. He's aggressive and fearless -- that's what I like. He doesn't take too many chances, he doesn't bite on a lot of plays, but no one is going to run by him because he has great speed, and then he's fearless enough to go after the ball, attack it, step in front of receivers and make plays that way. He's kind of a play-making cornerback where he's going to make something happen over there. If people are going to test him, he's going to make them sorry that they did. I think that's the big thing in his game. I would just like to see him against really elite, high 4-star, 5-star receivers to see if he can get away with some of the things he tries to do." (Read more in our Commitment Analysis series)