USC Trojans Battling Notre Dame for Top-100 Linebacker Recruit Madden Faraimo

The USC Trojans are battling Notre Dame and Texas for four-star linebacker recruit Madden Faraimo. Can Lincoln Riley and his staff pull off a recruiting win with the top uncommitted linebacker remaining in the class of 2025?

J Serra Catholic's Madden Faraimo recruiting finalists appear to be USC, Texas, and Notre Dame. / Bodie De Silva

Four-star linebacker Madden Faraimo is being recruited by nearly every school in the country, including the USC Trojans. Faraimo is the No. 3 player in California and No. 62 prospect in the nation, according to the 247Sports Composite.

The athletic linebacker currently plays for J Serra Catholic High School, giving the Trojans the advantage of proximity in Faraimo's recruitment. USC is battling Notre Dame, Texas, and Washington for the top-100 prospect. He has already taken trips to each school, but he intends on returning to some schools for another visit.

According to On3's Chad Simmons, Faraimo has scheduled three key visits in November before making his decision. Faraimo was in the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum for USC's season opener against Utah State, and he will be back for the final game of the year against Notre Dame on Nov. 30.

J Serra Catholic's Madden Faraimo recruiting finalists appear to be USC, Texas, and Notre Dame. / Bodie De Silva

In addition, Simmons reports that Faraimo is visiting Notre Dame on Nov. 9 and is planning to visit Texas on Nov. 23. Earlier this summer, Faraimo told Simmons that he wanted to take his time with his decision.

“There is no wrong choice. I am just trying to find the best one for me," said Faraimo. "It is going to be hard to say no to three schools, but it would be worse to say yes to one, then turn around and say no and de-commit. My morals as a person don’t really align with that, so that is why I am taking more time to make the best decision.”

If Washington does not receive a second visit from Faraimo, the Huskies' chances of landing the four-star recruit diminish. Notre Dame appears to have the momentum in his recruit as they hold a few predictions on 247Sports, but Faraimo has not given many indications as to which school leads.

Trojans defensive coordinator D'Anton Lynn has already brought major improvements to the defense in his first year at USC, and landing recruits like Faraimo will certainly help Lynn's progress. The elite linebacker prospect told Simmons some of the reasons why he is still considering the Trojans.

Sep 1, 2024; Paradise, Nevada, USA; Southern California Trojans linebacker Mason Cobb (13) gets up to run after making an interception against the LSU Tigers in the final seconds of the fourth quarter at Allegiant Stadium. / Stephen R. Sylvanie-Imagn Images

“USC is unique in that they are close to home. I have cousins who played there, my brother went there and my family down the street, so USC is different. The staff stands out too," said Faraimo.

Faraimo is currently the highest-ranked uncommitted recruit in California, and he is the highest-ranked uncommitted linebacker in the country. The Trojans have the No. 10 recruiting class in the country with 23 commits according to 247Sports. Faraimo would be USC's third-highest ranked recruit.

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