For West Coast kids who want to stay on the West Coast, it would seem Lincoln Riley has once again made USC the premier destination.

Late Sunday night, the Trojans earned a commitment from Washington transfer cornerback Jacobe Covington. The 6-foot-1 defensive back was a member of the Huskies’ 2020 class. He’ll have three seasons to play with the Trojans.

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A former 4-star recruit and top-200 prospect, per the 247 Composite, Covington was a crucial piece of the Husky signing class when he signed the proverbial dotted line in December 2019.

But the work was light once he got to campus. One appearance in four possible games during UW’s 2020 season, then 12 appearances for the Scottsdale, Arizona, native last season but most of the work came on special teams. In a secondary that had two top-40 NFL Draft selections at corner, Covington saw only 20 coverage snaps all year, according to PFF.

Covington was expected to compete for a starting role in 2022, but decided to enter the transfer portal right at the deadline to retain immediate eligibility for next season. He visited USC and clearly liked what the program had to offer.

For the Trojans, it’s a high-upside depth add for a group that was beset with injury during the spring.

The Trojans added two corners from the portal prior to spring ball in Mekhi Blackmon (Colorado) and Latrell McCutchin (Oklahoma) and then saw safety Bryson Shaw (Ohio State) join the team after spring ball ended.

Blackmon missed the end of spring with a foot injury but is still expected to be one of USC’s starters at corner when the season opens. Covington should be able to come in and compete for the opposite starting spot with the likes of Domani Jackson, who spent most of the spring recovering from injury, Josh Jackson Jr., Prophet Brown, and Ceyair Wright.

In total, Covington is the seventh player from another Pac-12 program to transfer to USC since Riley took over the program.