**TrojanSports.com is taking an in-depth look at this 2021 USC recruiting class position-by-position, including film room evaluations on present commits and breakdowns of what to expect the rest of the way. We started with the defensive backs on Tuesday.
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The area of this 2021 USC recruiting class that remains the most under-construction still would be within the defensive front, as the Trojans have a number of spots yet to fill at both defensive line and linebacker.
How things play out at those positions the rest of this cycle will go a long way to determining how this recruiting class will be viewed overall.
Ideally, based on available scholarships and allocation of needs, USC would take some combination of seven prospects between the DL and LB groups.
As it pertains to the linebackers, what is known so far is the Trojans have at least one of those spots accounted for with high-upside 4-star ILB Julien Simon (Lincoln HS/Tacoma, Wash.) -- the No. 4 ATH and No. 108 overall prospect in this 2021 class.
Four-star OLB Ma'a Gaoteote (Bishop Gorman HS/Las Vegas) remains publicly committed, but there are rumblings that his situation is fluid and he acknowledged to Rivals' Adam Gorney this week that he's "leaving it open" as he communicates with other schools.
That means that even with the potential for a larger defensive line haul, landing another priority linebacker target remains a paramount storyline the rest of this cycle.
We take a closer look at where things stand and what the outlook is otherwise:
Inside linebacker Julien Simon
Commitment date: May 10
How he fits USC's needs: Simon is a versatile playmaker who looked good playing some safety in the early 7-on-7 season but will come into USC as an inside linebacker. It's actually a rather deep position group for the Trojans right now, but more in terms of numbers than definition. Redshirt senior Jordan Iosefa and junior Palaie Gaoteote figure to be the starting inside linebackers, with junior Kana'i Mauga one of the few other veterans with any notable experience. Eli'jah Winston, Tayler Katoa, Solomon Tuliaupupu, Ralen Goforth, Tuasivi Nomura and Maninoa Tufona are all intriguing in their own rights but with no real experience yet. Simon will join the mix there as an early enrollee and should be one to watch in that competition as the first linebacker recruited to the program after new coordinator/LBs coach Julien Simon took over.
Film room evaluation by TrojanSports.com's Alec Simpson: "Simon is a tremendous athlete whose skill set could just as easily translate well at outside linebacker. The first trait of Simon's game that really stands out is how patient he is when the ball is snapped. No false steps are being taken out of his stance, and he does a terrific job of reading the flow of the game, whether its a pass or run. At 0:20 on his highlight tape Simon smoothly adjusts to the receiver set -- from a two by two to a three by one set. He reads that it's a pass and intercepts the football at the 35 yard line for a touchdown. That play speaks volumes as to how disciplined of a linebacker Simon is and how he's able to read then react to make a play on the football.
"While Simon makes a ton of plays in coverage with 4 interceptions as a junior last season, I would definitely like to see him make more plays in the run game. He'll need to add weight to his already wide frame at the next level, but I also want to see him shed off blockers with physical hand usage on opposing linemen. The potential is there, though, as Simon has all the tools to be a successful linebacker in the Pac-12."
Rivals analyst Adam Gorney's scouting report: "He's a kid with definite position versatility. He could play safety if need be. He could absolutely play outside linebacker. And he's an athletic kid, so he can move all over the field. He's played running back and wide receiver before. Those kids tend to really find their niche and excel. If they're loaded up at one position, they can move pretty easily and have an impact there. ...
"If there's a criticism of his game, is that he's not incredibly physical. He's not a kid who's just going to knock people around like USC inside linebackers have done over the years. But he's a kid who could continue to develop physically. He certainly has the frame to fill out more, and a lot of being physical is just the mentality of being physical, the want-to to hit people really hard and embrace that toughness level. So I certainly wouldn't be surprised if he ended up inside, but he's a kid who could easily move outside because he's super athletic and can move. He's not slow-footed at all or flat-footed and can't move in space. Inside would be an interesting spot for him, but I certainly think he could excel there." (Read more from our Commitment Analysis series)
