LOS ANGELES – Levi Jones kept his audience in suspense Wednesday morning.

Sitting at a podium at a Westlake High auditorium in Austin, Texas, Jones stood up and unzipped his black hooded jacket.

He sported a blue T-shirt underneath. “Gators,” it read. Those in attendance started clapping. The four-star linebacker appeared bound for Florida.

But Jones continued to remove layers of clothing. He took off the Florida shirt to show a scarlet Florida State one. The crowd gasped.

He continued, finally revealing a cardinal shirt with an interlocking “SC” logo draped on the front. “Fight On,” he said. He was bound for USC.

For Coach Clay Helton at least, it was an anticipated outcome.

He received a text message from Jones, shortly before he took the stage, sparing him the added uncertainty.

“Thank God he texted me,” Helton said, laughing, “I would’ve had a heart attack right there.”

The spectacle precipitated a strong finish for USC on National Signing Day. Beginning with Jones, Helton’s staff signed six previously uncommitted players to their letters of intent, buoying the heralded group.

According to the major recruiting websites, the 23-member class was ranked anywhere from No. 4 to No. 6.

“It was one of those special days,” Helton said.

Not long after Jones’ announcement, offensive tackle Austin Jackson from Phoenix, tight end Josh Falo from Sacramento and defensive tackle Jay Tufele from Salt Lake City pledged to the Trojans.

The late signing-day additions were completed with wide receiver Joseph Lewis IV and versatile athlete Greg Johnson, a pair of teammates from nearby Hawkins High, less than three miles from USC’s campus.

Helton credited the presence of quarterback Sam Darnold as a draw for Lewis, regarded as one of the top receivers in the country.

“That’s one of the great sells of USC,” Helton said, before reciting the school’s recent quarterbacks.

USC retained its previous 19 commitments, though two players, offensive guard Jalen McKenzie (Clayton Valley High of Concord) and defensive end Terrance Lang (Maranatha High of Pasadena), were expected to later “blueshirt” and “greyshirt,” respectively, delaying their enrollment and counting toward next year’s recruiting class.

“You wish you had more than 23 scholarships, I’ll be honest with you,” Helton said.

The Trojans were limited to 23 of the typical maximum 25 scholarships because kicker Michael Brown and defensive tackle Stevie Tu’ikolovatu both “blueshirted” a year ago. Brown and Tu’ikolovatu then count toward this class.

Of the 23 signees, USC loaded up in the trenches. Eight of the prospects were offensive and defensive linemen.

“I’ve always felt that championships are won by big men,” Helton said.

Both were positions of need. The Trojans lost three of the five starters on their offensive line, including tackles Zach Banner and Chad Wheeler. Tu’ikolovatu, who started at nose tackle after arriving as a graduate transfer from Utah and became a valuable cog on the defense, also saw his eligibility expire.

USC did miss out on a handful of targets, most notably defensive tackle Aubrey Solomon, who signed with Michigan, and junior college transfer Javon Kinlaw, another defensive lineman who settled on South Carolina.

Five players, including San Clemente quarterback Jack Sears, had previously enrolled in classes for the spring semester.

The strong final push on the recruiting trail coincided with USC’s run of nine consecutive victories to end the season, its best finish since the Pete Carroll Era.

Capped by a 52-49 win over Penn State in the Rose Bowl, the Trojans, despite a 1-3 start, finished ranked No. 3 in the final Associated Press poll.

“That ninth victory in a row,” Helton said, “really added fuel to the fire, that this is a program on the rise.”

As Helton met with recruits and their families in the past month, the dramatic victory over the Nittany Lions emerged as a frequent point of discussion and what he hopes will be a springboard.

“It was one of those games that will go down in history,” Helton said. “Everybody did talk about it.”

Contact the writer: jkaufman@scng.com

Our editors found this article on this site using Google and regenerated it for our readers.