WR Charles Ross Commits to USC

Former San Jose St. Wide Receiver Charles Ross has committed to USC.

On Saturday Ross alerted WeAreSC that he’d taken a USC official visit on Friday and verbally committed to the Trojans, but announced his school choice on Tuesday.

“All the Coaches from USC showed me that they don’t just care about the business side about football, they care about you as a man too’” Ross said. “Coach Dennis (Simmons) definitely will improve my game and the proof is in the pudding. Coach Riley will definitely put me in positions to win to the best of my ability. They both played a huge part of my commitment because they both will take my game to highest ceiling there is.”

Ross played his high school ball at Culver City (CA) before signing with the Nevada Wolfpack as part of the class of 2019. Ross played in eight games for Nevada after redshirting his first year in the program and caught four balls for 37 yards.

He entered the transfer portal, transferred to San Jose St. in 2021 and played for the Spartans the last three seasons.

In 2021 Ross played in nine games and caught 25 passes for 305 yards. The following season he played in six games and hauled in 14 passes for 204 yards. Last season Ross had season highs in games played (12), receptions (26) and receiving yards (347).

His recruitment was fairly quiet, but USC fans did watch him catch five passes for 62n yards. Naturally those were his season highs in both categories. He was a rough season for the Trojans defensively, to say the least. But Ross adds what is seemingly the final piece to the 2024 wide receiver room at USC.

The Trojans needed to add depth this Spring and did that by adding Ross, Kyle Ford from UCLA and Jay Fair from Auburn. Ross has one year of eligibility remaining.

Talented group of USC wide receivers

USC‘s offense put up over 500 yards from scrimmage despite falling to the defense 43-28 during last month’s spring game — most of which came through the air. 

Head coach Lincoln Riley explained last month where his receivers stood at the end of spring practice. The group combined for 37 receptions for 396 yards and two touchdowns on the day, seeing six wideouts record at least 35 receiving yards during the day. 

“They’re doing well, I think all those guys, building on how they played in the bowl game,” Riley said after the spring game. “Not just getting their opportunities, but the quarterback position is probably going to be played a little bit differently. I know we talked a lot about it after the bowl game — it’s a little bit more traditional. And I think at times it can be a good thing for some of these receivers in terms of getting in a rhythm and just letting these guys make plays.

“The quarterbacks we have in the room, that’s more of their style. When you’ve got playmakers like those guys, it’s awesome, you’re excited about it, and they’re excited about it. We have some weapons in that room that we feel that are going to give us an advantage every time we step on the field next year.”

Duce Robinson ended the spring showcase as the Trojans’ leading receiver with four receptions for 56 yards. Makai Lemon was targeted a bit more, catching six passes for 52 yards while hauling in one of the only two receiving touchdowns on the day. Zachari Branch, Xavier Jordan, Ja’Kobi Lane and Josiah Zamora also had strong showings during the game.