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.
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