USC to visit top ranked tackle

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While Ohio State is having recent success recruiting top players in California, USC hopes to pull off a shocker in the Buckeye State. The Trojans hope to steal Jackson Carman away from Ohio State and other top powers in the region.

It won't be an easy task. Carman is rated by Rivals.com as the top offensive lineman in the entire country and he's a huge priority for every team recruiting him.

But USC passed the first test in Carman's recruitment. On Christmas 2016, the Trojans made his top ten, meaning they're still in contention to pull off that upset.

The last time USC succeeded in a similar feat was in 2011. That's when Rivals100 offensive lineman Aundrey Walker, a product of Cleveland, chose the Trojans. He picked USC over Ohio State, and plenty of others, in a big upset.

So while everyone believes Carman will pick Ohio State, or maybe one of the hot programs of the moment like Alabama or Clemson, USC's coaches still believe they have a real chance. They hope to repeat what happened with Walker seven years ago. In fact, Neil Callaway and Clay Helton are spending plenty of resources to recruit Carman. The five-star prospect expects to see them at Fairfield HS soon.

"They told me they would be coming in next week," Carman told TrojanSports.com when asked when he expects USC at his school.

The 6-foot-6 and 305-pounder also reveals that those two coaches are in very regular contact with him.

"They're telling me they want me to come in and start right away," Carman said. "They just need me to get out there and visit. They text me a lot."

When asked about seeing USC's campus, Carman replied that he would want to visit "hopefully this summer."

But to those who are pessimistic, USC might just seem like one of ten schools on a list. Carman's list also includes Alabama, Clemson, Florida, LSU, Michigan State, Notre Dame, Ohio State, Tennessee and Wisconsin. Those are schools with gorgeous campuses, impressive football traditions, quality academics and everything else that anyone could desire.

So why does USC seem to have a very real shot here? We'll let Carman explain.

"Two of my favorite players of all time, Anthony Munoz and Tyron Smith went there," Carman said when asked about why he's considering USC. "And Cali, I heard is a great place to live and that's the reason I want to get out there."