What 4-Star Illinois Recruit Nasir Rankin Said About USC Trojans' Lincoln Riley

The USC Trojans are in the running along with the Illinois Fighting Illini, Michigan Wolverines, and Oregon Ducks for four-star class of 2026 recruit Nasir Rankin. Rankin gave an update on his recruitment earlier this week.

Nov 23, 2024; Pasadena, California, USA; USC Trojans head coach Lincoln Riley smiles after Trojans defeat the UCLA Bruins at Rose Bowl. Mandatory Credit: Robert Hanashiro-Imagn Images / Robert Hanashiro-Imagn Images

The USC Trojans are one of a few schools that are in four-star recruit Nasir Rankin’s top choices. He is an athlete/wide receiver in the class of 2026. Rankin spoke with Steve Wiltfong of On3 this week about where he stands in his recruiting process at this point. 

Nasir Rankin Calls USC Trojans A “Dream School”

Nov 30, 2024; Los Angeles, California, USA; Southern California Trojans wide receiver Ja'Kobi Lane (8) celebrates after scoring on a 6-yard touchdown reception against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish in the second half at United Airlines Field at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images / Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

Nasir Rankin has the USC Trojans as one of his top schools. Rankin spoke about the schools that have already given him offers and which ones stand out.

“I’m excited about Michigan, Oregon, USC, North Carolina, all those schools that had just offered,” Rankin said. 

Rankin went more in depth about schools such as Oregon and USC, calling them “dream schools.”

Oregon quarterback Dillon Gabriel scores a touchdown against Ohio State during the fourth quarter at Autzen Stadium Saturday, Oct. 12, 2024. / Chris Pietsch / USA TODAY NETWORK / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

“Oregon and USC have been my dream school since I was a kid. Getting those offers were crazy,” Rankin said. “Lincoln Riley, we’ve been talking about lot. A legendary coach like Lincoln Riley means a lot.”

He also talked about some of the other schools that have offered him, such as Michigan, Duke, and Illinois. 

“I just like their offense and how they (Michigan) get their guys into space. I feel myself there,” Rankin said. “I went down to Duke. I really liked Duke.”

The closest school to Rankin’s hometown of Chicago, is Illinois. The Fighting Illini are a player to land Rankin as well. 

Nov 16, 2024; Champaign, Illinois, USA; Illinois Fighting Illini players face their fans after a 38-16 win over the Michigan State Spartans at Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Ron Johnson-Imagn Images / Ron Johnson-Imagn Images

“It’s home. Their offense is pretty good,” Rankin said. “They produce a lot of nice receivers and a lot of kids go to the NFL.” 

In the history of the Illinois football program, they have had 15 wide receivers selected in the NFL Draft. 

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Nasir Rankin Player Profile

Nov 2, 2024; Seattle, Washington, USA; USC Trojans head coach Lincoln Riley watches pregame warmups against the Washington Huskies at Alaska Airlines Field at Husky Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Joe Nicholson-Imagn Images / Joe Nicholson-Imagn Images

Nasir Rankin is a 6-1, 177 pound athlete/wide receiver out of Chicago, Illinois. Rankin is rated as a four-star recruit and ranked as the No. 9 athlete in the class of 2026 per 247Sports. 

Based on his most recent statement, his recruitment seems to be fairly wide open. Jeremy Werner of 247Sports in late January of 2025 predicted that Rankin would end up choosing Illinois. Werner has an all-time prediction hit rate of 88.9 percent. 

That bodes well for the Fighting Illini, who look to hold onto the local product, Nasir Rankin.

USC Trojans Class of 2026 On Upward Trend

Dec 27, 2024; Las Vegas, NV, USA; Southern California Trojans wide receiver Kyle Ford (81) celebrates after a first down against the Texas A&M Aggies in the second half at Allegiant Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images / Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

The USC Trojans failed to bring in a top ten class of 2025 recruiting class. This included the Trojans missing out on some of the highest rated recruits right in their own backyard in Los Angeles.

2026 is off to a much better start. USC currently has the No. 3 ranked class of 2026 recruiting class according to On3. This class includes five four-star commits in athlete Xavier Griffin, cornerback RJ Sermons, cornerback Brandon Lockhart, edge rusher Braden Jones, and running back Shahn Alston.

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