One of the top remaining uncommitted players in the country may have one of the hardest recruitments to predict at this point.
Tywone Malone, a 6-foot-4, 300-pound, 4-star defensive tackle from New Jersey, is ranked the No. 48 overall national prospect, and he put out his "Final 6" list on Monday night, including USC along with Texas A&M, Florida State, Tennessee, Ole Miss and Rutgers.
The two-sport athlete is also hoping to play college baseball.
What makes his future commitment decision so hard to predict? Well, for a while many have thought Ohio State might be the leader in his recruitment, and the Buckeyes aren't even on his final list of six.
There's good buzz for Texas A&M, Florida State and Tennessee, depending on which direction it's coming from.
As for the Trojans? They would love to add Malone to their 2021 recruiting class and it's believed that there is interest from the baseball program as well in facilitating his two-sport plans, but not being able to host him on an official visit is a major obstacle in their way.
USC remains in the mix because Malone has built a good connection with defensive line coach Vic So'oto, who got the Trojans on the radar of a number of east coast defensive linemen thanks in part to his ties out that way after his time at Virginia. But closing the deal with a New Jersey prospect who hasn't been able to visit or check out USC's campus is another story.
As Malone's recruitment has already featured some twists, anything is possible until he makes a final decision, but the Trojans would seem an underdog in this battle.
