The USC Trojans basketball program took a hit this weekend, as it appears to have lost a four-star recruit in J'Raan Brooks.

Brooks earlier committed to play for the Trojans next year, but withdrew his pledge via Twitter, noting the “recent news” surrounding USC’s athletics as his primary reason to back out.

https://twitter.com/JraanBrooks/status/918954374780608519

The Trojans are among the schools implicated in the corruption scandal that the FBI is currently investigating. Assistant coach Tony Bland was one of the 10 personalities arrested during the onset of the scandal.

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Brooks’ decision did more than just added an empty spot on the Trojans’ roster in 2018, but also set a negative tone for the program’s recruitment. USC might have a harder time luring prospects to the school in the foreseeable future as a result.

This could also potentially affect USC’s standings with the other two recruits in Taeshon Cherry and guard Kevin Porter who verbally committed to play for the Trojans next season. Although, at least at this point, much of that is merely conjuncture.

Brooks is ranked 70th overall among the class of 2018 by ESPN and 21st among all forwards in the nation. The 6-foot-8 Seattle native received offers from the likes of Baylor, Oklahoma, Stanford, Washington and Washington State, which should now all be considered as the top landing spot for Brooks.

With the 2017 college basketball season not yet even tipping off, the talented forward still has plenty of time to weigh his options before deciding what is next. He will be heavily recruiter.