Our friends at Longhorns Wire were on top of this story on Christmas Day:

Texas safety Xavion Alford, who recently entered the transfer portal, has decided to commit to the USC Trojans and former Texas defensive coordinator Todd Orlando. Alford didn’t play under Orlando, but he probably saw how well Orlando developed safeties Talanoa Hufanga and Isaiah Pola-Mao, who were two of the best players on USC’s defense and the Trojans’ overall roster in 2020. One could make a very convincing argument that the best position group on USC’s roster in 2020 was not the wide receivers, but the safeties.

Hufanga became Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Year and certainly boosted his NFL draft stock. Xavion Alford was clearly paying attention.

Some interesting tidbits from Longhorns Wire editor Patrick Conn in his report on Alford include behind-the-scenes whispers that Alford was upset about the Texas staff pursuing a defensive back in the transfer portal. Alford, the No. 8 safety in the United States according to 247 Sports rankings, will ensure that USC’s safety group remains loaded in 2021.

More from Conn and the Longhorns Wire story:

“USC had a great year in my eyes making it to the PAC-12 championship,” Alford said. “Although they came up short, they played great and showed flashes of becoming a problem in college football. I’m glad I get to add to that problem.” – Alford to 247Sports

Also:

There was some hope that the Longhorns could talk Alford into staying with Texas but he opted to head out west and announced it on Friday morning. Another talented member of the 2020 recruiting cycle heads to the Pac 12 Conference much like Ja’Quinden Jackson, who is now at Utah.

Los Angeles Lakers fans will appreciate Alford’s USC commitment tweet:

For a fun read on USC recruiting history, check out this piece: