Trojans land Orange County product Charles Burks

The USC football team picked up its 12th verbal commitment for the class of 2011 in Orange County product Charles Burks out of Edison High School in Huntington Beach.

The 6-foot-1-inch, 230-pound Burks is rated a three-star prospect by ESPN and Rivals.com and is athletic enough to be described as a potential linebacker, defensive end or fullback when he joins the USC football team next fall. Burks also fielded offers from Duke, Boise State, Stanford and several other Division I schools before committing to USC last night.

Originally, Defensive and Recruiting Coordinator Ed Orgeron required that Burks enroll in the spring in order to be offered a scholarship but recently lifted the restriction so that Burks could graduate with his fellow classmates.

“It’s a relief that I get to focus on playing football and enjoying my senior year,” Burks told the website WeAreSC.com. “They tell me, ‘You have what it takes to be out there and play with [the best of them].’”