Amid Controversy 2025 Three-Star Defensive Lineman Gus Cordova Commits to Trojans

Who Is Gus Cordova

Gus Cordova is a three-star defensive lineman from Lake Travis High School in Austin, TX. The 6-foot-4, 250-pounder chose the Trojans over Texas, Texas A&M and Oregon. On3 Sports and Rivals list Cordova as a three-star prospect.

Cordova has been in hot water across social media as a prank he is alleged to have been part of back in September has resurfaced. Cordova and a few teammates found out that another teammate, Carter Mannon, had an allergy to peanuts, so severe that it could kill him. The players allegedly put peanuts into Mannon's locker, which caused a breakout of hives for Mannon. Thankfully Mannon was able to wash his hands before the allergy could spread. While Cordova was not named in the report, the fact that Texas backed off recruiting a kid in its backyard, as well as 247Sports removing his player ranking, speaks volumes.

What Is the Impact of the Commitment For USC

The commitment of Cordova gives USC five commits for the 2025 class and the second defensive lineman. Per On3 Sports the Trojans have the 3rd best class in 2025 overall and the 2nd ranked class in the Big Ten.

How Quickly Can Gus Cordova Contribute At USC

USC lost only one DL to the transfer portal and brought in two others. However, the DL brought in are upperclassmen, one junior and one senior. The chances of both players being on the USC roster when Cordova enrolls are slim. However, the other DL committed to USC in the 2025 class is five-star Justus Terry, who will be difficult to pass up on the depth chart. With the number of upperclassmen on the current two-deep roster for USC, you would have to think coach Lincoln Riley would look to add more DL from the transfer portal for the 2025 season. Cordova’s first season in LA may be a developmental year.

Scouting Gus Cordova

Gus Cordova is a strong defensive lineman with a great bull rush. He is a versatile lineman, able to play either the EDGE position or as a down lineman. He uses his hands well to fight off blockers and has good lateral movement to slip through the line and into the backfield. One area to work on is his tackling technique as he tends to be a bit high on some of his tackles. He can get away with that in high school but the bigger backs in the Big Ten will not be as easy to get to the ground tackling high.