Adam Grosbard  (OC Register)  —   It was a relatively quiet first day of the early signing period for USC and new head football coach Lincoln Riley, but the Trojans did make one big splash.

Four-star Bishop Gorman (Nev.) safety Zion Branch announced his decision to sign with the Trojans on Instagram Live, picking USC over Oklahoma and Ohio State.

Branch is the No. 47 prospect nationally, per 247Sports.com’s composite rankings. The 6-foot-2, 195-pound prospect was the second Gorman defensive back to sign with USC on Wednesday, joining four-star cornerback Fabian Ross, who had been committed to USC since January.

Otherwise, it was a somewhat uneventful signing day for USC. The Trojans did pick up the early-morning commitment of Garrison Madden, a three-star linebacker from Georgia who took an official visit to USC last weekend and held offers from Syracuse and South Florida.

With Branch and Madden in the fold, USC’s signing class jumped up from 105th to No. 80 in 247Sports.com’s national class rankings.

Beyond those two new additions, USC signed the four members of the 2022 class that it had lined up prior to Wednesday: Ross, five-star Mater Dei running back Raleek Brown (#4), three-star edge rusher Devan Thompkins and Australian punter Atticus Bertrams.

But Wednesday was never expected to be a big day for USC, with several targets waiting to sign until Friday and others waiting until after the signing period to announce their decisions.

Five-star Mater Dei cornerback Domani Jackson will sign Friday, the same day that Riley will hold his signing day press conference. A former USC commit, Jackson is choosing between the Trojans and Alabama.

Similarly, another Bishop Gorman standout, four-star edge rusher Cyrus Moss, is expected to sign Friday but will not announce his decision until Jan. 8 at the All-American Bowl. Moss is selecting between USC, Alabama, Oregon, Arizona State and Miami.

Four-star Mater Dei receiver C.J. Williams is another player expected to announce his decision at the All-American Bowl. The former Notre Dame commit reopened his recruitment this week following an official visit to USC.

And four-star Desert Pines (Nev.) running back Jovantae Barnes signed Wednesday but won’t announce his decision until Dec. 28.

So there are still a lot of big-time fish for USC to reel in and announce, but not many more are expected this week as Riley takes the steps to rebuild the USC roster through the 2022 signing class and the transfer portal.

ocregister.com

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