Taylor Tatum, the nation's top RB, sets a commitment date

After two big official visits last month, the nation’s No. 1 running back is ready to make his college decision.

Taylor Tatum, the On3 Industry Ranking’s No. 1-ranked RB out of East Texas, will announce his college commitment on Friday, July 21. The announcement will be held at Longview (Texas) High School and will be live-streamed on the Longview GameDay YouTube page.

Tatum’s decision is scheduled for 11 a.m. CT with a broadcast set to begin 15 minutes prior. On3 will be on hand for the reveal of the blue-chip back and dual-sport athlete’s decision.

Tatum, the No. 35-rated overall recruit in the country, will be choosing between USC and Oklahoma.

After making official visits out to both Los Angeles and then Norman, Tatum canceled his final official visit of June scheduled to Michigan. He is down to the Trojans and the Sooners, with the latter trending on the On3 Recruiting Prediction Machine after his June 16-18 official visit.

Texas, Texas A&M and Georgia were also among the teams in pursuit of Tatum.

“I’m getting really close,” Tatum told On3 last month after his visit to Norman. “It’s two schools I’m focusing on, two schools I’m talking to this week and half or so, and then I’m setting a date for a decision.”

Tatum has been mulling over his decision for the past three weeks and now has a date locked in place for next Friday.

The elite back is high on Lincoln Riley and Kiel McDonald, as well as his fit in the Trojans’ offense.

“USC has really put themselves in a good spot, I’ll say,” Tatum said of the Trojans after his official visit on the first weekend of June. “I think after seeing how life is at USC and seeing so many people from (outside of) California doing well in California and seeing what coach (Lincoln) Riley’s offense looks like and how much he loves the game, I could really see myself not just playing at USC but excelling at USC and building a brand for myself.”

After touring through Norman, Tatum raved about his time with DeMarco Murray as well as his fit in Oklahoma’s football and baseball programs alike.

“It’s what I wanna do and Oklahoma has a history with Kyler Muray. It’s the same baseball staff that did it with him and it’s definitely doable with me. To get to compete in both of those sports at a high level ls important to me.”

Tatum is the No. 9-ranked recruit from the Lone Star State, according to the On3 Industry Ranking, a weighted average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies