USC Trojans lose the commitment of 4-star OT Carde Smith after flipping him from Auburn

By Byron Terry

Modified Nov 21, 2024 05:33 GMT

Williamson High School (AL) offensive tackle Carde Smith made news in the recruiting world as he decommitted from the USC Trojans on Wednesday, November 20, 2024. This comes in the wake of USC also losing 5-star quarterback Julian Lewis on Sunday.

Smith, a four-star recruit per 247Sports Composite, unofficially visited Auburn on March 23, 2024, and committed to the Tigers less than a month later on April 10. Smith officially visited Auburn on June 14. But after he officially visited the USC Trojans later in the month, he decided to reopen his recruitment and decommitted from Auburn before eventually committing to USC in August.

With his decommitment, Smith becomes the top offensive tackle available in the Class of 2025, per On3's rankings. He is ranked No. 12 overall.

Colorado emerges as favorite to land Carde Smith

Tom Loy of 247sports has Carde Smith at 100% to Colorado via their Crystal Ball Prediction. Colorado's offensive line play has improved, but the Buffs have still been looking for reinforcements. They may get even more if Carde Smith decides to play his college football in Boulder.

On3's Chad Simmons reported last week that Colorado had been close to flipping Smith from USC. He added what has attracted Smith to the Buffs:

"Smith sees an opportunity to play right away in Boulder, and the way the program has performed on the field this season has caught his attention.”

Carde Smith is ranked as the 24th-best offensive tackle in the country and 15th-best player in Alabama according to the 247Sports Composite rankings. He holds offers from schools like Duke, Colorado, Arkansas, Auburn, and more.

The 6 foot 5, 293 pounder wins his one-on-one matchups with strength, size, and quick feet as a pass blocker and is physical against opposing defensive linemen in the run game.

Colorado has 10 commits and is currently ranked as the 79th-best 2025 recruiting class per 247Sports while USC has 21 commits and is ranked as the 13th-best 2025 recruiting class in the country.

Smith could potentially boost Colorado's ranking if he commits to the Buffs. Julian Lewis, who also decommitted from USC this week, is similarly being linked with a move to Colorado.