Hawkins (CA) WR Joseph Lewis made his declaration to spend his college career at the University of Southern California.
In terms of recruiting, the Pac-12 has always struggled, unless you’re USC. Though the program has to look no further than in-state talent, out-of-towners are prized just as much. USC even stole safety Bubba Bolden away from Arizona State, a sure-fire solution for the former Bishop Gorman Gael. USC’s second five-star recruit – behind Lewis – is RB Stephen Carr, the No. 20 player in the country, according to 247Sports.
Just days before National Signing Day, Lewis made his way to Southern Cal. That may have been the huge momentum swing the Trojans needed since there’s a depletion at wide receiver now. Prior to his USC visit, though, Lewis went through a college tour late last year, spending time at several schools – Alabama, Arizona, Oregon, Oklahoma, Arizona State and Nebraska. Nebraska, by the way, was a very close second for Lewis. The reason? QB Patrick O’Brien, who was another California prospect for the Huskers recruiting system.
Outside of Texas, Florida and Georgia, California is one of the most highly competitive state programs in high school football. For Joseph Lewis, a graduate of Hawkins (Los Angeles), to stand out in a large pool of recruits says a lot about him as a player. Of the 33 offers he received, he ended up visiting only six schools, all of which were on the west coast. Nevertheless, he still got attention from programs, such as Penn State, Georgia and Alabama.
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Going into 2017 as a Trojan, there will be minimal competition for Lewis, especially after Juju Smith-Schuster declared early for the NFL Draft. That means one of two young men will have to fill that gap: either Deontay Burnett (Jr) or Lewis. And with a promising QB in Sam Darnold, the outlook is full of sunshine for Lewis at USC.