LAWNDALE -- Before Jordan Wilmore formally pledged his commitment to USC last month, he first wanted to reach out to Trojans running back Stephen Carr.

"I called him right before I committed just to hear what he had to say, his opinion on it. And he was like, 'Do it. If you come in, do what you're supposed to do, you'll play here,'" Wilmore said. "... He's just like that model -- I played against him before and you see what he's doing in college and it's like, 'Wow.'"

The connection between the two had actually started a couple years earlier for Wilmore, who is rated a 3-star running back in the Class of 2019.

It was against Carr that he first truly made a name for himself, back in the second round of the 2016 state playoffs.

Wilmore was already a standout for Lawndale High School as a sophomore, but Carr was the prep running back that everyone knew -- locally and beyond. The star rusher from Summit High School in Fontana was ranked the No. 2 all-purpose back in his recruiting class and carried all the clout into that postseason showdown.

By the end of a 38-14 Lawndale win, though, Wilmore had earned everybody's attention -- including that of the opposing running back -- after rushing for 325 yards and scoring four touchdowns while Carr rumbled for 143 (according to a recap in the Press-Enterprise).

"He was a sophomore. Stephen Carr was an SC commit. Spectacular player. Best player Jordan and I had seen that year for sure, by far. So Jordan was so motivated that week," Lawndale coach Travis Clark recalls. "I think Stephen Carr had about 140 and Jordan had 325. So that was kind of his coming out party and everybody knew, 'OK, we've got to watch this kid.'"

That's only part of the story, though.

Making the game even more special was what happened afterwards.

"When Jordan first discovered Stephen Carr, and I'm not ashamed to say it and Jordan's not ashamed to admit it, he idolized the guy. He thought that that guy was what a USC tailback was supposed to look like in high school," Clark said. "He was watching this kid every single day after that, just watching his highlights, saying, 'I've got to break like this, Coach. If I want to get respect, I've got to run like this. Every five touches he's gone.'

"And then when they played each other Stephen Carr finally took notice of who this little Jordan Wilmore kid is -- gave him his football gloves after the game. Gave him gloves and said, 'You're next.' It just changed his life. I think for Jordan, Stephen Carr is always going to have a special place for him. So being able to FaceTime with Stephen Carr to tell him, 'I'm going to commit to USC,' and Stephen Carr saying, 'Yeah, come on, let's do it together,' it's special for Jordan, no question. It's a special story."

Since that breakthrough playoff performance, Wilmore hasn't slowed down even if the attention paid to him by opposing defenses has continued to pick up.

After rushing for 2,289 yards and 24 touchdowns on 9.2 yards per carry as a sophomore (plus 133 receiving yards and another TD through the air), Wilmore followed up last fall with 2,220 rushing yards on 12.3 YPC, 329 receiving yards and 34 total touchdowns.

And through three games so far this season he's already up to 485 rushing yards and five scores.

"His junior year, it was just everybody in the box every game -- we've got to stop Jordan Wilmore. He's special. He still gets it done," Clark said. "... He's just special. He's got vision, he's got strength, he's got runaway speed. I think he's the total package. He's tough, he gets it, he understands how to read blocks, he sets up blocks, he's got good hands. The kid is a next-level running back. He's going to be playing high-level on Saturday. I think if he has opportunities he's going to get a chance to play on Sundays as well."

USC offensive coordinator Tee Martin clearly agrees with at least that first part.

Martin had taken notice of Wilmore during that sophomore season, but the Trojans wouldn't offer him a scholarship until the following year. He told Wilmore he was keeping an eye on him, but he wanted to see more explosiveness from him.

So Wilmore joined the track team after football season and worked to increase his speed.

"I had never run track before, so I just started running track and I saw a difference. I lost a little bit more weight. My whole body changed," Wilmore said.

He says he's hadn't been tracking his 40-yard dash time so he doesn't know exactly how much his speed increased, but he just knew he was faster.

"I looked on film and I could see the difference," he said.

And ultimately, so could the USC coaching staff.

"I remember when Tee came in to offer him, he brought the whole staff. That was a pretty cool day," Clark said.

After that conversation with Carr, Wilmore gave the Trojans his commitment on Aug. 19 and says he feels "much relief" from his decision.

"I didn't want to have to worry about any school texting me, worrying about all that, or asking me, 'What school do you want to go to? We need you here.' So I was just like, I want to stay home," he said. "I love the coaches, I love the team, I love the brotherhood. ... At the end of the day, I just thought about it and the reality, this is a great fit for me."

Having his family nearby was a major factor, he added.

Still, Wilmore plans to take official visits to Boise State (Oct. 6) and Utah while also planning to get back to USC either during the season or afterward. He says the coaches understand his desire to follow through on those other visits.

"[USC running backs coach Tim] Drevno told me he wants his kids to take all of their visits to see if you'll like it out there or not," Wilmore said.

Said Clark: "He's never been out of the state of California. He wants to visit another school just to kind of get a feel. And I think Jordan is kind of a respectful kid -- I think he appreciates those guys that have been recruiting him, giving him love. He wants to be a man of his word. He decided to schedule those trips, and I think he just wants to fulfill that because he's a solid individual."

All the while, adding more yards, touchdowns and highlights to an already thick resume. As Clark said, Wilmore already owns all the school rushing records and he'd like to see him finish with another 2,000-yard season, but he intends to limit his carries down the stretch to keep him healthy and fresh for all that is still to come.

Like maybe sharing the USC backfield with Carr next fall, to really bring everything full-circle.

Said Clark, "I told Jordan, I said, 'Maybe in 10 years from now, they'll be showing those clips of you and Stephen playing against each other in high school, and then showing clips of you and him playing together in college and then playing against each other in the NFL.'"