From July 2021 through the end of the year, Maliki Crawford was part of UCLA’s 2023 class. In January of this year, he re-opened his recruitment. For a moment, Cal looked like it had the advantage. To close out the month of July, USC brought Crawford to campus for a visit.

And it would appear that visit sealed the deal. Crawford announced on Tuesday his commitment to the Trojans.

The 4-star corner from Oxnard (Calif.) Pacifica ranks as the 33rd-best corner in the 2023 class. The industry-generated 247 Composite ranks him as the 352nd overall recruit in the class and the 22nd-best prospect from the state of California. The 6-foot-3, 180-pounder had Cal and UCLA as his other finalists.

Crawford runs track for his high school as well, posting 100-meter times in the 11.4 range as a junior. He has a verified 4.15-second shuttle time and a 33.1-inch vertical. As a junior last fall, he had 63 tackles, seven pass breakups, and one interception in 10 games.

247’s national recruiting expert Greg Biggins had this to say on Crawford’s game:

“… Crawford can obviously work on his top-end speed but we like his short-area burst and you can see his athleticism on the offensive side of the ball. He’s got some twitch to him and plays with suddenness. He plays a physical game as well and has a nice edge to him. His Pacifica program is known for their toughness and being the kind of team that is uncomfortable to play against. As Crawford continues to fill out and improve athletically, his game will rise to another level and there’s no reason why he won’t be on the short list when talking about the top (defensive) backs in the ’23 West Coast class.”

He gives the Trojans their 14th known commitment in the 2023 class, eight of which are blue-chippers. You can view Crawford’s highlight tape below, via Hudl: