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What 4-Star Recruit Jamarion Carlton Said About USC Trojans, Spring Visit Plans

Temple (TX) four-star edge Jamarion Carlton is one of the top recruits in the state of Texas. Carlton narrowed his focus to just six schools, including the USC Trojans. Can the Trojans pull the highly touted prospect out of the Lone Star State?

Kendell Hollowell

Sep 7, 2024; Los Angeles, California, USA; USC Trojans head coach Lincoln Riley reacts against the Utah State Aggies during the second quarter at United Airlines Field at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Jonathan Hui-Imagn Images
Sep 7, 2024; Los Angeles, California, USA; USC Trojans head coach Lincoln Riley reacts against the Utah State Aggies during the second quarter at United Airlines Field at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Jonathan Hui-Imagn Images / Jonathan Hui-Imagn Images
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Temple (TX) four-star edge Jamarion Carlton is one of the most sought-after prospects in the 2026 cycle, but the talented pass rusher has narrowed his focus to six schools, and the USC Trojans are among the finalists. Carlton is the No. 5 edge and No. 44 overall prospect in the On3 Industry Ranking.

“Baylor, LSU, SMU, Texas, Texas A&M and USC are my top schools,” Carlton told On3. “It came down to relationships with all the coaches. That is major for me. The scheme that they run is important too. How much they stay in contact meant a lot though and all six schools came to see me in January.”

Lincoln Riley
Sep 7, 2024; Los Angeles, California, USA; USC Trojans head coach Lincoln Riley reacts against the Utah State Aggies during the second quarter at United Airlines Field at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Jonathan Hui-Imagn Images / Jonathan Hui-Imagn Images

USC has some catching up to do with Carlton being a frequent visitor at a number of the schools in the Lone Star State. Carlton has taken at least three trips to SMU, Texas and Texas A&M and has been visiting Baylor since his freshman year. All four of those schools will be pushing to keep one of the top recruits from leaving his home state. He was at Texas and Baylor for Junior Day last month.

Carlton will be making his first trip to California when he visits the Trojans campus in the spring. He will also schedule an official visit with USC sometime in the summer. 

The Trojans have been known to leave quite the impression on out of state recruits during their trips to Los Angeles, thanks to a strong tradition, off-field networking opportunities and a recruiting and personnel department that has grown exponentially over the last month. Former Notre Dame general manager Chad Bowden left South Bend to take the same role at USC and lead a new and improved front office. 

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“I get to see the community, the college and meet more coaches,” Carlton told On3. “The coaches are good people, they send people to the league and I want to go out there and see how it is.”

The Trojans staff has been busy since the start of the new year, visiting numerous high schools across the country to help build upon their No. 2 ranked recruiting class in the On3 Industry Rankings. One of their stops was to the state of Texas to visit Carlton. Defensive ends coach Shaun Nua has developed a strong relationship with Carlton. 

“The coaches in general stand out at USC," Carlton told On3. "It is different with them and coach Nua stood out a lot when he came to see me. He said things differently that stayed with me. I like how he recruits me and I like coach Lynn, the defensive coordinator too. Both of those guys came to see me.”

The Trojans have two commitments in the 2026 cycle on the defensive front in Mount Carmel (IL) four-star defensive lineman Braeden Jones and Fremont (CA) three-star edge Andrew Williams. 

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Kendell Hollowell
KENDELL HOLLOWELL

Kendell Hollowell, a Southern California native has been been covering collegiate athletics since 2020 via radio and digital journalism. His experience includes covering programs such as the USC Trojans, Vanderbilt Commodores and Alabama Crimson Tide. Kendell He also works in TV production for the NFL Network. Prior to working in sports journalism, Kendell was a collegiate athlete on the University of Wyoming and Adams State football team. He is committed to bringing in-depth insight and analysis for USC athletics.

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