Oregon Ducks Football: Leon McQuay III visiting USC Trojans
Top 2013 recruit Leon McQuay III is on an official visit this weekend to the USC Trojans, and it is the final official trip of McQuay’s highly talked about recruitment. The top 50 prospect is one of the Oregon Ducks top remaining targets, and Chip Kelly was one of a few coaches to have sat down with the elite four-star safety prospect. Two of the others were Jimbo Fisher and Lane Kiffin, with Florida State also being one of the finalists.
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It all comes down to Oregon, USC, FSU, Michigan, and Vanderbilt for Leon McQuay, and many analysts believe that he is a Vandy lean partially due to academics. McQuay is very intelligent, and that can be seen on tape. He is, in my mind, the smartest defensive back in this recruiting class and has all the tools to be an elite free safety at the collegiate level. McQuay has great instincts, solid ball skills, is terrific as a pure coverage guy, and he has more than adequate athletic ability.
It’s no wonder why McQuay has been so touted, and he would be a huge addition to Oregon’s recruiting class- or any team’s class for that matter. USC could still keep Max Redfield, as the elite safety is currently between the Trojans and Irish. The common thought is that USC cannot keep both players, but it could happen. So this official visit is crucial for him as a player, USC when looking at the big picture, and has a trickle-down effect on Redfield (Oregon stopped recruiting him).
McQuay is rated by most publications as the third best safety in the 2013 recruiting class, and he is easily a top 40 recruit overall and a top ten player in the state of Florida. He has been busy lighting it up for an elite Armwood squad and also owns a great football pedigree.
Oregon fans need to keep close tabs on the news that comes out of this visit to USC, because it has a huge impact on Oregon’s potential incoming class in 2013. The Ducks currently have just 11 commits and are behind the curve, but they always finish strong. The Ducks get a large amount of their commits late in the recruiting period, which makes the decisions by guys like McQuay all the more crucial for this program.
You can follow Joe Soriano on Twitter @SorianoJoe.