Three-Point Stance: Best In Class III

Welcome back to the Three-Point Stance, our little corner on TrojanSports.com to examine a trio of USC-related items worth talking about.

Signing Day is over, of course, but we're not ready to put a bow on 2015 recruiting just yet - especially not after USC signed the best recruiting class in the country. To that end, we're using this week to take another look at the strongest position groups in the signing class.

Our week concludes with the linebackers.

Let's face it: You knew it had to end here. For as impressive as the defensive back and the running back groups are - not to mention the defensive line and offensive line units, as well - no grouping received more attention, and for a while, consternation, from Trojan fans than the four-man linebacker class for the ages.

Just how impressive a group are Porter Gustin, John Houston, Osa Masina and Cameron Smith? To begin, it'ss easily the most talented group since the seminal 2005 linebacker class that consisted of Rey Maualuga, Brian Cushing, Kaluka Maiava and Luthur Brown. As far as total pedigree of the players coming in, it may even be better.

To wit, here's how the 2005 recruits stacked up:

Maualuga- 5*, 6.1 - #5 overall

Brown- 4*, 6.0 - #32 overall

Cushing- 4*, 6.0 - #53 overall

Maiava - 4*, 5.9 - Out of Rivals 100 (No Rivals 250 yet)

And here's the 2015 group:

Gustin- 5*, 6.1 - #25 overall

Houston- 5*, 6.1 - #30 overall

Masina- 4*, 6.0 - #37 overall

Smith- 4*, 5.9 - #126 overall

Maualuga's in a class of his own, but the current crop boasts an extra five-star, and the second, third and fourth-highest-ranked of the 2015 linebackers all place ahead of their 2005 counterparts.

That's just the top of the iceberg, however. Not only is this class arguably the best overall unit, but by itself it compares favorably to the entirety of USC's linebacker recruiting post-2005. Here's where the dozen best linebackers from 2006 through 2015 ranked when arrived on campus with the Trojans. For the sake of keeping things consistent, I only used players who played the majority of their USC careers at linebacker, so no Allen Bradford or Tre Madden even though Rivals ranked them as linebackers out of high school. (And, yes, I'm aware that Sarkisian said that Gustin and Masina will get looks on offense. I'd be stunned if they actually did anything more than moonlight there, however.)

1. Chris Galippo (2007)- 5*, 6.1 - #11 overall

2. Porter Gustin (2015)- 5*, 6.1 - #25 overall

3. John Houston (2015)- 5*, 6.1 - #30 overall

4. Osa Masina (2015)- 4*, 6.0 - #37 overall

T-5. Jabari Ruffin (2012)- 4*, 6.0 - #40 overall

T-5. Josh Tatum (2006)- 4*, 6.0 - #40 overall

7. Lamar Dawson (2011)- 4*, 5.9 - #45 overall

8. Michael Morgan (2006)- 4*, 6.0 - #67 overall

9. Jarvis Jones (2009)- 4*, 6.0 - #72 overall

10. Michael Hutchings (2013)- 4*, 5.9 - #94 overall

11. Anthony Sarao (2011)- 4*, 5.8 - #115 overall

12. Cameron Smith (2015)- 4*, 5.9 - #126 overall

Over the course of a decade's worth of rankings, in other words, the 2015 class alone comprises a third of the list, and places three members in the top five. Of course, one only has to pore through this last to understand how fragile these things can be once the players arrive in college - Galippo, like Brown before him, never could play at the level everyone hoped for after back injuries derailed his career. Bottom line, though, championships are won by programs that recruit the best talent and while those 2005 linebackers were just one of many talented position groups during the Trojans' romp through the Pac-12 during the Pete Carroll era, they played a massive role in the defense's success.

The potential exists for this group to be the second coming of that, especially given that their respective skill sets mesh together rather than overlap. It's easy to envision a scenario where they could all line up together, with Gustin at rush end, Smith at middle linebacker, Houston on the weak side and Masina playing on the strong side. Maybe that's how things play out, maybe not. But USC badly needed an upgrade in overall linebacking talent, and this group gives the Trojans a chance to change the direction of where its entire defense goes in the future.