4-star cornerback Jaeden Gould decommits from USC

Oradell (N.J.) Bergen Catholic four-star cornerback Jaeden Gould decommitted Wednesday from USC.

He is the fourth player to do so since Lincoln Riley took over as head coach Sunday. Gould originally committed in June.

“First and foremost I would like to thank coach Donte (Williams) and the USC staff for believing in me and offering a scholarship,” Gould said. “With that being said, after long thoughts and talks with my family, I think it would be best if I step back to explore my options, so I will be decommitting from from the University of Southern California. I wish nothing but the best for the program and their future.”

Gould was the top commit in the Trojans shrinking recruiting class before decommitng. Four players remain in the class: Bishop Gorman (Las Vegas, NV) four-star cornerback Fabian Ross, Stockton (Calif.) Edison three-star EDGE Devan Thompkins, Napavine (Wash.) three-star offensive tackle Keith Olson and Australian punter Atticus Bertrams.

He is the third-best player from the state of New Jersey. The On3 Consensus – a complete and equally weighted industry-generated average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies – has Gould as the nation’s 210th-best player.

The three other players to decommit from the Trojans over the last few days are Mission Hills (Calif.) Bishop Alemany four-star cornerback Ephesians Prysock, Missouri City (Texas) Hightower three-star wideout Caleb Douglas and Mission Hills (Calif.) Bishop Alemany three-star wide receiver Kevin Green.

One player has committed to the Trojans since Riley took over. That is 2023 Los Alamitos (Calif.) High Five-Star Plus+ quarterback Malachi Nelson, who flipped from the Sooners to USC.