USC Football: What Makes Trojan Recruiting Target Rasean Dinkins Special?

Warner Robins (Warner Robins GA), defensive back Rasean Dinkins took to X/Twitter today to announce that he received an offer from USC. USC defensive line coach Eric Henderson put the call into Dinkins to give him the offer. Rasean is already being courted by Florida State, Duke, Indiana, Michigan State, and Mississippi State to name a few.

So, what sort of talent does USC see in the 6-foot, 180-pound defensive back? We broke down his junior season film, embedded at the bottom of this article, to better understand why so many schools are courting him, and where he could fit in with the Trojan defense. 

Dinkins played mostly safety during his junior season but also played running back and wildcat quarterback as well. As a safety, the first thing to stick out in his film is his tackling ability. 

He isn't flying uncontrollably into the lane to smack the ball carrier. He plays pass first, but he's still able to fill run lanes quickly and wrap up on the finish. It looks like he doesn't need to fly downhill like some safeties tend to do to deliver a blow. He punches above his weight in that sense, and he's not afraid of taking on pulling offensive linemen. 

In his film, he played a lot of cover two, but also a fair bit of man as well. He looks better in man coverage at this stage of his development, but he did show the ability to flip his hips and escort vertical routes through his zone of responsibility. 

With a handful of young-talented safeties like Kamari Ramsey already at USC, Rasean would likely sit a year or two before he enters the rotation as safety for the Trojan defense. Although, we wouldn't be surprised if his tackling ability lands him on special teams early on in his career wherever he ends up.