Skip to main content

WeAreSC On3 6/22/22: Micah Banuelos Names Top Three Schools, Malachi Nelson Lands NIL Deal, and Missing Out On Brandon Inniss

On3 imageby:Adam Bradford06/22/22

Adam_Bradford14

On3 image
Micah Banuelos (Chad Simmons/On3)

WeAreSC On3 is a daily three-point briefing recapping news and notes surrounding USC Athletics. Today, we take a look at offensive lineman Micah Banuelos naming his top three schools, USC QB commit Malachi Nelson landing an NIL deal, and the Trojans missing out on five-star wide receiver Brandon Inniss.

Micah Banuelos Names Top Three Schools

Three-star offensive lineman Micah Banuelos named his top three schools yesterday, and USC made the cut.

A native of Burien, Washington, On3 Consensus ranks Banuelos as the number 774 player in the class of 2023. In addition, he is the number 77 interior offensive lineman in his class, and the number eleven player in the state of Washington.

In addition to the Trojans, Banuelos’s top three consists of Oregon and Texas A&M. Interestingly, despite not landing on his list, On3 still has Washington as the favorite to land Banuelos.

micah-banuelos-names-top-three-schools-malachi-nelson-lands-nil-deal-missing-out-on-brandon-inniss
Micah Banuelos included USC in his top three schools (Photo courtesy Micah Banuelos)

Malachi Nelson Lands NIL Deal

Yesterday morning, USC QB commit Malachi Nelson announced an NIL deal with h.Wood Group. The group refers to itself as a “Los Angeles-based hospitality and lifestyle company with a diversified portfolio of upscale nightlife and restaurant venues.” The deal was first reported by Pete Thamel of ESPN.

According to Thamel, Nelson could earn nearly a million dollars in endorsements before he even enrolls at USC. Clearly, I’ve been doing something wrong, because my bank account had approximately $5,000 in it when I enrolled at USC—mostly from working summer jobs in high school.

Missing Out on Brandon Inniss

USC missed out on a major target on Tuesday when five-star wide receiver Brandon Inniss committed to Ohio State.

A top-25 player in the 2023 class, Inniss had been trending towards USC earlier this year, with rumors going around that he could even commit to the Trojans. However, the Buckeyes picked up significant momentum in the race for Inniss over the past few months, and surpassed the Trojans as the leader to land the five-star talent.

Despite losing out on Inniss, however, USC’s 2023 wide receiver class appears to be just fine. The Trojans currently hold commitments from five-star Zachariah Branch and four-star Makai Lemon.