5-Star Recruit Brandon Arrington To Visit USC Trojans, Oregon Ducks, Texas A&M

The USC Trojans and coach Lincoln Riley are hosting five-star recruit Brandon Arrington on an official visit. Can the Trojans land the elite recruiting target over the Oregon Ducks and Texas A&M Aggies?

Oregon head coach Dan Lanning watches a play against Michigan during the first half at Michigan Stadium in Ann Arbor on Saturday, Nov. 2, 2024. / Junfu Han / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The USC Trojans are hosting five-star athlete Brandon Arrington for an official visit on June 17 as USC coach Lincoln Riley and his staff look to land one of the top recruits from the state of California.

One of the most coveted prospect in the 2026 recruiting cycle, Arrington also announced that he will be visiting the Texas A&M Aggies (June 5) and Oregon Ducks (June 13) in addition to the USC Trojans.

Additionally, the Alabama Crimson Tide are expected to be players in Arrington's recruitment. He released a top-12 that consisted of USC, Texas A&M, Oregon, Alabama, Georgia, Florida State, LSU, Michigan, Nebraska, Oklahoma, Penn State, and UCLA. It appears as though only a select few schools will receive official visits, and the Trojans are one of them.

Dec 27, 2024; Las Vegas, NV, USA; Southern California Trojans head coach Lincoln Riley reacts against the Texas A&M Aggies in the second half at Allegiant Stadium. / Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

The Trojans have made a clear investment into their recruiting efforts, proven by the hiring of multiple front office positions, headlined by general manager Chad Bowden. Riley and USC have also invested in the on-field coaching staff adding former NFL defensive coordinator Rob Ryan as the Trojans linebackers coach.

USC's defensive coaching staff was overhauled after the 2023 season, and the Trojans subsequently hired Doug Belk as their secondary coach. A year later, Belk is currently ranked No. 1 in 247Sports' recruiter rankings for the class of 2026.

According to 247Sports, Belk is the primary recruiter for Trojans' four-star defensive back commits RJ Sermons and Brandon Lockhart. Per the 247Sports composite rankings, Sermons and Lockhart are the No. 2 and 3 cornerback prospects in the nation, only ranked behind five-star Elbert Hill.

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Belk is also the primary recruiter for Arrington, perhaps signaling that the Trojans project the five-star athlete as a defensive back at the next level. Adding Arrington to a recruiting class with Sermons and Lockhart could stamp Belk as one of the best recruiters in the country.

In the class of 2026, Arrington is currently ranked as the No. 9 player in the nation, the No. 1 athlete, and the No. 2 recruit in California.

The only recruit from California ranked above Arrington? Ohio State Buckeyes wide receiver commit Chris Henry Jr. A five-star wide receiver, Henry Jr. recently announced he will also be taking official visits over the summer, despite being committed to Ohio State coach Ryan Day and the Buckeyes.

Aug 31, 2024; Columbus, OH, USA; Mater Dei wide receiver Chris Henry Jr. films as Ohio State football warms up before the Buckeyes' 52-6 win over Akron. / Lori Schmidt/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK

As a five-star wide receiver and the No. 1 recruit out of California, Henry Jr. is being heavily recruited by the Trojans and many other schools. The elite prospect out of Mater Dei High school is planning to visit Miami, USC, Oregon, and Ohio State.

Although early, the USC Trojans currently have the No. 2-ranked recruiting class in the country per the On3 Industry Rankings. Sitting only behind the Oregon Ducks, USC's class is headlined by four-star linebacker Xavier Griffin as well as Sermons and Lockhart.

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