LB Jadyn Walker Signs with USC

Portage (MI) LB Jadyn Walker has signed his letter of intent with USC. WeAreSC had submitted predictions for USC in the past few weeks. Walker has known what school he would sign with for a while now.

Walker was able to connect with Lincoln Riley and D’anton Lynn in December. But it was new linebackers coach Matt Entz who he was not able speak with much as he was finishing his time at North Dakota State. But now, Entz stopped by Walker’s school last month to have a lengthy sit down with Walker, his mother, and his coach. 

We talked with Walker about the visit and how he is feeling on their relationship. 

“Coach Entz came in, he is a super cool dude, super cool. You can tell he’s a family guy, all about the players. The reason why he did come to USC, and I like the reason, is he told me he wanted to connect more with the players and be more engaged with relationships with the players and stuff like that, which I liked.”

As a head coach at NDSU, Entz was not able to connect on a personal basis with his players as much as he can being in one position room everyday. And with Entz coaching linebackers, one of their main discussions was about where Walker fits into the defense. 

“He sees me as playing the WILL [backer] and if I could play a WILL, I could probably play MIKE [backer] too. They’re trying gonna try to recruit a lot WILL’s since they can play MIKE too.”

For those curious on what the WILL backer does, here are some broad descriptions. On passing plays, the WILL can rush the quarterback at times to cause disruptions to the passing attack. In man-to-man coverage, he’ll typically match up against second or third receivers or running backs. In zone coverage, he’ll drop back into the mid-range zone. Against the run, the WILL’s job is to identify the ball carrier early and attack him on the most direct path possible, without letting the ball carrier get behind or outside.

From Portage, Michigan…
welcome @JadynWalker20 ✍️✌️#VictoryXXIV pic.twitter.com/9VSQZxSaOm

— USC Football ✌️ (@uscfb) February 7, 2024

The staff’s relationships with Walker and his mother

Lincoln Riley has had a big impact on Walker’s recruitment so far, but the other new members of the staff are standing out. 

“Me and Coach Riley’s relationship, I think it’s pretty good. He talks to me the most out of any of the coaches. Coach Lynn’s a super cool dude. When I went out there, me and him connected quite a bit and he was super cool dude and coach. Me and Coach Entz talked on the phone prior to this [visit], probably like three times previously. And then today, me and him just got to know more about coach. And we talked a lot of football, which was nice. I think that I’m building a pretty close relationship with all the coaches so far.”

Walker’s mother is a big part of his recruitment and is a sounding board for him. He says that she too is in big support of USC. 

“She likes it a lot. The thing she likes the most is that, as she said, all the coaches pour into the players. Like, it’s not just like the position coaches with their certain players. She feels like over there, and I feel this too, that it’s more a thing of careing about the players. It’s not all about the NIL and stuff like that. The coaches really care about the players, honestly. So that’s how we feel on them.”

With 22 commitments in the fold, USC still holds the No. 18 class in the 2024 Industry Team Recruiting Rankings. However, the class score rose to 90.20.

More on the current class for USC

To date, the 22 commitments in the 2024 class are Jones, Savannah (Ga.) Jenkins three-star EDGE Lorenzo Cowan, Savage (Minn.) Prior Lake four-star defensive lineman Jide Abasiri,, Carslbad (Calif.) DL Mana Bulabalavu, West Hills (CA) Chaminade High four-star safety Marquis Gallegos, Arlington (Tex.) Martin three-star offensive lineman Makai Saina, Clearwater (Fla.) Academy International four-star interior offensive lineman Jason Zandamela, Bellflower (Calif.) St. John Bosco four-star cornerback Marcelles Williams, Hiram (Ga.) four-star tight end Walter Matthews, Los Angeles (Cal.) Sierra Canyon four-star Xavier Jordan, Atlanta (Ga.) Washington four-star EDGE Kameryn Fountain, Lake Oswego (Ore.) Lakeridge four-star tight end Joey Olsen, Clearwater (Fla.) four-star safety Jarvis Boatwright Jr., McKinney (Tex.) three-star running back Bryan Jackson, Clearwater (Fla.) four-star safety Jarvis Boatwright Jr, Englewood (CO) Cherry Creek three-star offensive lineman Hayden Treter, and Huntington Beach (Calif.) three-star offensive tackle Justin Tauanuu. 

USC remains at No. 5 in the BIG 10 rankings. As of today they remain behind Ohio State, Oregon, Penn State, and Michigan. 

With a score of 90.202, the Trojans are just behind Michigan, which has a score of 90.985. 

USC is fourth in the Big 10 in average prospect rating.