USC QB commit comparison: Jake Garcia and Miller Moss

There are now 10 quarterbacks ranked inside the 2021 Rivals100 who have announced commitment decisions, and USC is the only program in the country that's landed pledges from two of them.

Miller Moss announced his USC commitment Monday, joining fellow local 4-star QB prospect Jake Garcia in the Trojans' 2021 recruiting class and setting up a very intriguing competition in the years to come if both follow through on those commitments.

Garcia, who will play at La Habra High School this season after starring previously at Narbonne HS, is ranked the No. 3 pro-style QB and No. 25 national prospect in this recruiting cycle. He completed 70.3 percent of his passes last season for 2,301 yards, 25 touchdowns and 8 interceptions in just nine games

Moss, who plays for Bishop Alemany HS, is the No. 7 pro-style QB and No. 91 overall prospect nationally. He completed 67.4 percent of his passes for 3,118 yards, 28 touchdowns and 10 interceptions last season.

"Me and Jake have been friends for a while. We played on the same Premium team our freshman year together, and we knew each other in eighth grade just working with coach Danny [Hernandez] and stuff like that. I have a ton of respect for Jake and the person he is and the player he is," Moss said. "I didn't talk to him prior to this decision, but nothing but respect to him and his game and I'm excited to go get to work with him."

And when it comes to the value of embracing competition, he need only look at USC's incumbent starter Kedon Slovis, who joined USC as a 3-star prospect last year without much fanfare at a time when JT Daniels was the established starter and 5-star prospect Bryce Young was committed in the next class before later flipping to Alabama.

Slovis got his chance when Daniels was injured in the season opener last fall and went on to pass for 3,502 yards, 30 touchdowns and 9 interceptions while seizing the job. Daniels consequently transferred to Georgia last week, and with veteran backup Matt Fink entering his final year of eligibility, Slovis is the only scholarship QB set to return in 2021.

Meaning there is a great opportunity awaiting both Moss and Garcia.

"I think it's a great situation to go into in my class. Obviously Kedon's a guy who came in and had a ton of success, but also had to really work for that success, so I'm really looking forward to being able to pick his brain and work with him and learn from him kind of with what he's gone through," Moss said. "Obviously he came in behind one of the most highly-touted high school quarterbacks ever probably, he came in and really grinded and from what I've heard from Coach Helton, had absolutely no fear of competition. So that's someone that I'm really looking forward to learn from and also someone that I really want to compete with.

"Selfishly, I walk out on the field and think I'm the best quarterback there. I just think that's the attitude you have to have playing this position regardless of who;'s out there. But yeah, it's definitely an attractive situation for me. I know Kedon's a great quarterback and I know USC will always have great quarterbacks, but I feel like I can go in there and have a ton of success."

Meanwhile, Rivals recruiting analyst Adam Gorney compared the Moss and Garcia and the competition ahead.

On comparing the two USC QB commits ...

Gorney: "I would say they're similar in many senses. Both have very good arms, both are really smooth throwers. I think Miller in games is a little better as a decision-maker right now just moving the ball down the field, making the smart throw instead of the highlight throw all the time, and then getting his team in the end zone and scoring points. Not to say Garcia doesn't do that, but he's a little bit more of a risk-taker when he throws. He trusts his arm maybe a little bit more than he should sometimes, and so I think that's the biggest difference.

"In a camp setting I give the edge to Garcia -- he's just a little bit more of a smooth release operator. He's just a guy who looks slightly better, but Miller is right there in terms of everything else. Physically, I give the edge to Garcia -- he could fill out and be a pretty good looking quarterback, exactly what the NFL is looking for. But sometimes the kids who are just really headstrong, really smart, really understand the offense, all those kind of things -- which Miller Moss has -- really makes him a special quarterback too.