Moorpark offensive lineman Jonah Monheim commits to USC

USC will lose three redshirt senior offensive linemen after this season and have five juniors who are likely to depart next season. Coupled with adding just three offensive linemen in the last two recruiting classes, the Trojans entered the 2020 recruiting cycle needing to attack the offensive line positions.

That’s exactly what they have done this summer. They nabbed four commitments in June, and on Saturday they picked up their fifth offensive lineman commitment when Moorpark’s Jonah Monheim announced his decision on Twitter. The 6-foot-5, 280-pound senior chose USC over nearly 30 other schools, including Alabama, Notre Dame, Oklahoma, Penn State and Stanford.

“For this next chapter in life, I am excited to announce that I will be continuing my academic and athletic career at The University of Southern California. Fight On!” Monheim wrote in the social media post.

He becomes the highest ranked lineman to commit to USC in the 2020 class, ranked the No. 434 overall prospect and the 25th best offensive guard in the nation, per the 247Sports Composite rankings. He is a composite three-star prospect but is rated four stars by ESPN and Rivals.

Monheim is USC’s 11th verbal commitment in the 2020 recruiting class. His addition bumped the Trojans’ class up to No. 51 nationally. The Trojans are seventh in the Pac-12. They have not finished outside the top three in the conference since the team rankings began in 2002.

Monheim’s recruitment spread like wildfire this spring. At the end of his junior season, he still hadn’t received his first scholarship offer. But a few days after Moorpark teammate Drake London signed with USC in December, California supplied Monheim with his first offer. USC’s came next in January followed by a spate of Ivy League opportunities. By the end of February, more than 25 schools had contacted and made offers to Monheim.

“It definitely feels great. All the hard work is paying off,” Monheim said in February. “Super thankful for them. I’m super blessed to get them and I’m super excited for all the opportunities going forward.”

But the USC offer definitely made an impression. “I was ecstatic and super, super thankful,” Monheim said after the Trojans contacted him. The allure of reuniting with London, who had been Monheim’s teammate since childhood, was attractive as was staying close to home. But Monheim said he was also excited by USC’s academics, alumni network and the connections that a USC degree provides.