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USC 4-star linebacker commit Julien Simon doesn't like the idea of missing his senior season at Lincoln High School in Tacoma, Wash., as the state of Washington -- like many others -- postponed fall sports to the spring.

But he's been putting in the extra time and work required to be an early enrollee at USC in January, and he's sticking with that plan despite the reality that it means he's played his final high school football game already.

"It was very tough, but to me it was just a no-brainer because I've put a lot into graduating early. I invested a lot into that, so I would love to play a season and everything, but this is the right way to go and this is what I've been preparing to do," he told TrojanSports.com. "It was a no-brainer, but it was tough because I wanted to go out with my senior season the right way."

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Simon -- the No. 4 ATH and No. 108 overall prospect nationally -- is a key cog in the Trojans' No. 4-ranked 2021 recruiting class, and he wants to get to campus as soon as possible to get to work.

"I'm in a class right now -- English 101 -- through a local community college so I've been focusing on that. There's a couple classes I needed to get a year's worth of work in, so the only way I could do that was through going to a local community college and getting ahead on credits. It's a lot of work, but it's going to be worth it in the end," he said.