USC’s Drake London gets Snubbed in 2021 Preseason Rankings
The amazing USC wide receiver has been left out of multiple top 2021 returning receiver rankings.
Lauren Merola (SI.com) — Three months out from the 2021 season, USC is sitting pretty in top team projections for the upcoming season. Despite losing seven former Trojans to the NFL, ESPN’s Mark Schlabach’s most recent 2021 college football top 25 rankings has the Trojans breaking open the season at No. 13.
With Amon-Ra St. Brown and Tyler Vaughns, two of the team’s top three receivers, off to the big leagues, Drake London is primed to be Kedon Slovis’ go-to in the air raid.
However, Pro Football Focus’ (PFF) most recent top ten returning WRs doesn’t count London as a prime talent for the upcoming season. It doesn’t even list him as the sleeper, or first one out.
London was also excluded from 247Sports’ top ten returning wide receiver rankings. And Bleacher Report’s. Tough Crowd!
USC assistant athletic director Gavin Morris retweeted the PFF’s rankings, saying, “A list without @DrakeLondon_ No need to click on!!”
In 2020, London led the Trojans with 502 receiving yds, averaging 83.67 a game. The JR-to-be started six games, primarily in the slot, and posted three TDs and one tackle. For the 2021 season, coach Keary Colbert said back in April that London will get more reps on the outside to “check all the boxes for a complete wide receiver.”
As one of the most physically dominant wide receivers in the Pac-12, London will not only make some noise this season but will have the Coliseum – and nation – buzzing.
London grabbed a game-high eight catches for 125 yds in USC’s 2020 season-opener against ASU. The 6’5”, 210-pounder caught a 21-yd grab over two Sun Devil defenders on fourth down with 1:20 to play to ice the game.
London also had four receptions for 68 yds at Arizona. At UCLA, he grabbed five for 97 yds and two scores, one being a spectacular 65-yd catch-and-run where he bullied through most of UCLA’s defense. He matched his game-high with another eight grabs for 75 yds against Oregon.
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Off topic, but I came across a little Darnold chatter here: https://sports.yahoo.com/christian-mccaffrey-praises-incredible-talent-033053522.html
I’m also predicting big things for Darnold in Carolina. Big surprise, huh? So glad Darnold managed to escape (alive somehow) from the Jets!
Thanks for the link to — Christian McCaffrey praises “incredible talent” of new Panthers QB Sam Darnold.
BTW, McCaffrey is on the Colin Cowherd show today.
I am sure that there is not a single team in the PAC that will overlook London. I don’t think many of the National talking heads will list Trojans as long as underperforming Clay is around.
I love that London’s generating these early stories about being overlooked. If he’s as good as we think, it’ll all come back around in his favor when it counts.
Whenever I read his name, I always think of his amazing big TD reception against UCLA, when you can also see Chip kelly vociferously applauding London’s effort from the sidelines. That was a classy gesture from Chip.
You know, every season an article like this is written about how some USC player is being overlooked in the preseason, and more often then not, it seems to me those players go on to have a mediocre season for one reason or another rather than prove anyone wrong. Examples of Rey Mauluga, Daniel Immatorbebe, and Tyler Vaughns come to mind. Kedon Slovis also last season when some thought he wasn’t getting enough preseason Heisman love. I vote that we just stop giving a s**t what people’s potential is and look at what they actually accomplish. Drake London, rise above… Read more »
Just goes to show how bogus the polls are, every season. The important poll will be taken after seasons end when the draft occurs.
If only this little humorous anecdote were true:
“Rumor has it Clay Helton will be hired to sell used cars at Felix Chevrolet on Fig beginning in January of 2022.”
He is qualified and has the capacity to sell used cars he is neither capable nor qualifies to coach SC, but he is got the far higher paying gig.
By the time he gets done with SC he could buy Felix Chevrolet!
Back in the day I used to park my ’73 Ford Ranchero in a dirt lot adjacent to Felix Chevrolet. With all of the lighting the dealership had, it was the safest (and free) place I could find when I had to attend night classes in the Graduate School of Business. I remember the guy on the old Felix Chevrolet TV Commercials, Chick Lambert and his dog Storm. The guy knew what he was doing, unlike Clueless Clay.
Your “his dog Storm” reference made me think of those amazing Cal Worthington, and his dog Spot commercials.
“Give a new car to your wife, she will love you all her life!”
DL Jurrell Casey (only three games played in 2020), durable slot CB Nickell Robey-Coleman and serviceable back-up QB Matt Barkley remain unsigned by NFL teams.