Name: Porter Gustin Position: OLB
Class: FreshmanÂ
Size: 6-foot-5, 250 pounds
Age: 18
High School: Salem Hills HS (Salem, Utah)
Game: A four-sport athlete in high school, Gustin brings pure athleticism to the linebacker position. Despite a stout frame, the freshman provides excellent bursts coming off the outside edge that will help a USC defense that is looking for more playmakers when it comes to pressuring quarterbacks, especially in the Pac-12.Â
Prep Career: Gustin entered USC as a highly-touted recruit from Utah with a laundry list of accolades to accompany his stellar performance on the field senior year as both a quarterback and outside linebacker. He finished with 152 tackles, including 29 for losses (10.5 sacks), with two interceptions, two deflections and a fumble recovery. On the other side of the ball, the QB racked up 2,864 yards on offense with 22 TDs passing, and rushed for 891 yards with 10 TDs. This dynamic performance on both sides of the ball earned him Prep Star All-American Dream Team and Max Preps All-American First Team honors along with a spot on the All-State First Team.Â
Fall Camp: The freshman linebacker showed up at Fall Camp ready to fight for a starting position as a rush linebacker after working out all summer through player-run practices. Gustin immediately impressed coaches with his ability to come off the edge as quick as he did for as big as he is. The true freshman is a perfectionist, working all camp to grasp the playbook eventually earning a spot as the No. 3 outside linebacker behind veterans Scott Felix and Jabari Ruffin.Â
Coach Sark on Gustin: "Porter is a physical player. We see that in his ability to rush the passer, defend the run and set an edge. I think we're going to see a real drastic improvement in Porter from week one to week two just in letting everything go and really playing his style of play."Â
Here is Gustin on his first day of media availability...Â
