RECRUITING: Jaguars’ Jacobs to sign with Southern California

Desert Pines senior Julian Jacobs always had thought about playing basketball at Southern California.

When the Trojans made him a scholarship offer, he almost couldn’t believe it.

“I always had USC in the back of my head as a school I wanted to be recruited by, and when they did, it was surreal,” Jacobs said.

Jacobs said he would sign a national letter of intent with the Trojans on Tuesday.
He said he also had offers from Utah, Cornell, St. Mary’s (Calif.), Santa Clara and Auburn.

But a late September visit to the USC campus sold the 6-foot-3-inch point guard.

“When I opened up my recruitment process, USC was one of the first schools I took a visit on,” said Jacobs, who originally committed to Utah in March. “And I loved it. I absolutely loved it. The whole experience being on campus really helped me out.”

So did the school’s academic reputation.

“Getting a degree from there would be a blessing,” Jacobs said.

Jacobs averaged 12.6 points, 5.3 rebounds and 5.9 assists as a junior and earned third team all-state honors.

“The kid is just getting better and better everyday,” Desert Pines coach Mike Uzan said. “This year I think you’re going to see a lot more of him being in control and a lot more dominance.”

Jacobs said he should be able to compete for immediate playing time at USC.

“A starting position isn’t guaranteed,” Jacobs said. “But I can come in and compete. And who knows, maybe I possibly can (start). It’s all up to me.”