USC Football: Trojans Lagging In Upper Tier Signings Behind Big Ten Rival

USC has a lot of catching up to do.

The USC Trojans started the 2024 recruiting cycle pretty strong. Before the start of the 2023 season, USC sat in the top 10 of the 2024 recruiting cycle for quite some time; however, as the months went by, they dropped little by little. 

The Trojans don't have a strong recruiting class on paper for their liking or their fans liking. It could be worse; some might argue it is when you consider the fact that their long-time Pac-12 rival and future Big Ten rival, the Oregon Ducks, are running circles on the Trojan in this year's recruiting cycle. 

The Trojans have nine fewer blue-chip signings than the Ducks in the 2024 cycle. 

According to 247Sports, the Trojans are ranked 20 among the 2024 class and have 19 signed letters of intent. As for the Ducks, they are number four in the nation, with 26 players signing letters of intent, two of which are five-star recruits. The Trojans have zero five-star recruits on their end, which is why they are ranked 20th. 

It's clear the Trojans aren't doing enough when you stack them up against the top teams, and it shows when the football is played. Players should be signing left and right to join head coach Lincoln Riley in Los Angeles. There is still some aura here in Los Angeles. Riley and the crew need to do a better job capturing it and possibly taking a page out of Pete Carroll's book. 

Changes must be made on that front, and we'll see if they have what it takes.