Carde Smith commits to USC; Trojans land 4-star offensive tackle

Andrew Nemec | Aug 5, 2024

Carde Smith /

The USC Trojans would love to bolster their offensive line with the class of 2025.

And Lincoln Riley's program just took a significant step forward in that aim.

On Monday. Williamson (Alabama) four-star lineman Carde Smith announced his commitment to USC over offers from Auburn, Colorado, Florida State, Ole Miss, Tennessee and others.

The 6-foot-5, 300-pound offensive lineman is rated the nation's No. 269 overall prospect and No. 26 offensive tackle.

Smith was previously committed to Auburn, but reopened his recruitment following a late June visit to Los Angeles.

Almost immediately, the Trojans emerged as the clear-cut favorite to land the Alabama product in his second recruitment.

That effort ended up taking some time, but Smith is a Trojan.

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

"... Flashes good athleticism at the right tackle position where he shows an ability to win consistently at the point of attack by utilizing his size and frame to overwhelm opposing defenders. Appears to exhibit some quick twitch explosiveness off the line of scrimmage while displaying some natural power and play strength to drive defenders off the ball consistently. Excels as a run blocker at this point of his trajectory but will more than likely need a year or two of coaching to continue to develop as a pass protector. Good player that possesses very little verified athletic context but size and above average athleticism suggest he can eventually grow into a multi-year starter at the right tackle position at a Power Four program."