USC football: Nation's No. 9 linebacker visiting USC this weekend

Yelm (Washington) four-star linebacker (and elite track and field thrower) Brayden Platt is set to make the trip to Los Angeles

Story by Andrew Nemec of SBLive Sports

The USC Trojans are hosting a massive recruiting weekend and have added yet another bluechip prospect onto the list of visitors.

Yelm (Washington) four-star linebacker (and elite track and field thrower) Brayden Platt is set to make the trip to Los Angeles.

The 6-foot-2, 240-pound 'backer is rated the nation's No, 77 overall prospect, No. 9 linebacker and No. 2 player in the state of Washington, behind only O'Dea running back Jason Brown, who is also visiting USC this weekend.

Platt, an All-American Bowl selection, is intrigued by the Trojans, specifically by Lincoln Riley's coaching staff and the upcoming transition to the Big Ten, which will become official in 2024.

"I think they are a really good team and have a great new coaching staff," he said. "They had a really good first year and I can't wait to see how they do in the Big Ten (soon)."

Platt, a state champion in football and the shot put, already holds offers from double-digit programs, highlighted by Arizona, Arizona State, Michigan, Notre Dame, Oklahoma, Oregon, UCLA, USC, Washington, Washington State and others.

Here's what 247Sports, in part, had to say about him as a prospect:

"Platt is arguably the top two-way prospect in the state in our opinion. ... He can run, he can hit, he can catch, he can tackle, he can pretty much do it all. The All-American Bowl selection is a stifling run stopper, if he gets his hands on the back, the back is done running. He doesn't lose many battles against offensive linemen- he shoots the gaps, gets underneath them or sheds his block and stops the runner in his tracks. While his future is certainly on defense, you can see what a weapon he is out of the backfield."

While Brown and Platt are both stellar bluechip recruits, the unquestioned headliner of this weekend's visit list is Pinnacle (Arizona) five-star quarterback Dylan Raiola, the nation's No. 1 overall prospect.