USC ends Alabama's No. 1 recruiting reign

Iman Marshall's Signing Day commitment capped off a stellar class for USC

The ceiling isn't exactly collapsing on the Saban empire. It isn't even so much as cracked. Still, things aren't as easy as they once were. Alabama hasn't won a national title since 2012, which isn't exactly a drought, but now they've been knocked from their recruiting throne as well.

Steve Sarkisian's USC program finished the recruiting cycle with the nation's No. 1 recruiting class and toppled the Tide in somewhat dramatic fashion.

Alabama's four-year streak of top classes ended with a snap of sorts. All four of the five-star prospects that signed with the Trojans picked USC in the last 48 hours. Three of them (Iman Marshall, John Houston and Rasheem Green) announced their intentions on Signing Day. The comeback wasn't completely unexpected, but that didn't make it any less significant.

"It's a great class," said Rivals.com National Recruiting Director Mike Farrell. "USC just hit so many needs. For the second time, USC has interrupted a big run at the top by Alabama. In just his second Signing Day as the head coach, Sark has done a tremendous job keeping a lot of the major California talent home and also reaching out into other areas to supplement it."

The highest-ranked player in the Trojans' class is Marshall, a five-star cornerback and the No. 3 overall prospect in the America. Marshall's USC lean was clear for some time. And while other schools, most notably Florida State, made pushes, Sarkisian was able to sign California's second-ranked player.

"He's, by far, the best cornerback in this class," said Rivals.com West Coast analyst Adam Gorney said of Marshall. "He's incredibly physical and has proven over and over again at every event that he's even been part of that he can go out and do it. He backed it up at the Under Armour Game, and we even had a discussion of him as a possible No. 1 overall player. That's how good he is."

Of course, Marshall isn't anywhere near the end of the haul. Houston and Green, along with Gustin, who chose USC on Tuesday, round out the group of five-stars at the top of the class. As for non-five-star prospect that could make an early impact for the Trojans, Gorney says to look to Utah-based linebacker Osa Masina, a four-star linebacker. Masina didn't grab five-star headlines down the stretch, but still comes with plenty of fanfare and a well-deserved four-star ranking.

"Masina is a guy who is incredibly athletic, covers ground well and hits hard," Gorney said. "He's actually a phenomenal offensive player as well, but he's obviously going to be a linebacker for USC. He would be the star in many recruiting classless, but USC closed so strong that he's kind of been overlooked just a little."

The Trojans' No. 1 class is predicated on defense, where Sarkisian and company put together a nearly flawless group of athletes. Every need at every position was addressed with gusto.

"Defensively, they're phenomenal," Gorney said. "On the defensive line they're going to have Noah Jefferson, who proved to be one of the best in the country, and five-star Rasheem Green. At linebacker they have Masina, John Houston and Porter Gustin. Two of them are five-stars. Then in the secondary, they have Marshall and a bunch of other guys. Defensively, they just loaded up across the board.

If defense does, indeed, win championships as the cliché says, USC has started down the right path. But the impressive group of players that signed with the Trojans may have been as much the product of timing as it was that of hard work.

"A bunch of things played together," Gorney said. "First the 2015 class in California was absolutely loaded. USC didn't prove that they should be getting the top players. They didn't have the best season in the history of the world, but they're coming off sanctions and they can sign a full class. A lot of the top players, who have always liked USC, see that they can get on the field immediately there because of depth issues. Still, Sarkisian and his staff did a phenomenal job closing on these guys. It's one of the best classes in the last decade."