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USC Trojans Coach Lincoln Riley Visits 5-Star Brandon Arrington at Mount Miguel

The NCAA contact period officially opened again on Monday, Jan. 6, and USC Trojans coach Lincoln Riley made the trip down south to visit five-star athlete Brandon Arrington. Can the Trojans land the blue-chip prospect?

Kendell Hollowell

Mount Miguel (CA) 2026 athlete Brandon Arrington /Instagram
Mount Miguel (CA) 2026 athlete Brandon Arrington /Instagram / @brandon2jubie
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The NCAA contact period is officially open again on Monday, Jan. 6 and USC Trojans coach Lincoln Riley was down at Mount Miguel (CA) high school visiting 2026 five-star athlete Brandon Arrington. The coveted recruit is the No. 1 athlete and No. 8 overall prospect, per the On3 Industry Rankings.

USC has put an emphasis on recruiting blue-chip prospects in Southern California for the 2026 recruiting cycle. The Trojans are battling Texas A&M and Oregon for the elite in-state recruit, two schools that have consistently won several recruiting battles for prospects in the Trojans backyard over the past few cycles. Arrington had his first game day experience at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum on Nov. 16 to watch the Trojans defeated Nebraska 28-20. He raved about his time on campus. 

“The environment out there was fun to see,” Arrington told On3. “The first school I’ve seen out there with a DJ playing music what continues to excite me about my opportunity with the Trojan is that I see the love.”

Texas A&M has been considered the favorite to land Arrington after he took several visits to College Station in the fall, but the Trojans have the luxury of being frequent visitors at Mount Miguel over the next several months as Arrington nears a decision. 

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“Growing up, I just liked USC,” Arrington told On3 over the summer. “I’ve seen their history. I went to Helix and Reggie Bush went to Helix, so I looked up to Reggie Bush. I looked up to Adoree Jackson. I looked up to all those guys. I used to watch them a lot, so they’ve influenced me to always want to go to USC.” 

The Trojans have two commitments from elite prospects in Southern California. Rancho Cucamonga (CA) four-star cornerback RJ Sermons announced his pledge to the Trojans on Dec. 13. Sermons is the No. 2 cornerback and No. 27 overall prospect according to the On3 Industry Rankings. Sermons father, Rodney, played running back at USC from 1994-97. Loyola (CA) four-star cornerback Brandon Lockhart has been committed to the Trojans since October 2023. Lockhart is the No. 5 cornerback and No. 57 overall prospect. 

USC currently has the No. 2 recruiting class in the 2026 cycle according to the On3 Industry Rankings. The Trojans have a total of seven commitments, including Sermons, Lockhart, Gainesville (GA) four-star linebacker Xavier Griffin, Mount Carmel (IL) four-star defensive lineman Braedon Jones, Los Alamitos (CA) four-star receiver Ja’Myron Baker, St. John Bosco (CA) three-star athlete Joshua Holland and Sierra Canyon (CA) three-star athlete Madden Riordan. 

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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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