USC Trojans Commit Madden Riordan Honored By Los Angeles Times, Defensive Back Award

USC Trojans commit Madden Riordan took home some serious hardware at the end of junior season. The three-star recruit out of Sierra Canyon High School was named as the Defensive Back Of The Year by the Los Angeles Times.

USC commit Madden Riordan on a visit to USC. / Madden Riordan/X

The USC Trojans' 2026 recruiting class is off to a hot start, ranked as the No. 4 class in the country currently. Madden Riordan, one of their four defensive backs that they committed from the state of California picked up a prestigious award at the end of his stellar junior season.

Riordan was named Defensive Back of the Year by the Los Angeles Times for his efforts in helping Sierra Canyon High School reach the CIF-Southern Section Division 1 quarterfinals, where they fell short against the consensus No. 1 team in the country in Mater Dei.

The Times' football back of the year: USC commit Madden Riordan of Sierra Canyon https://t.co/BHWyRCxKIc

— eric sondheimer (@latsondheimer) December 22, 2024

Riordan's stats were simply jaw-dropping. He had a stellar junior campaign which included 10 interceptions, 14 pass deflections and 43 tackles. His 10 interceptions was good enough for No. 15 in the country.

The California native has been committed to the Trojans for over a year as he committed on on Nov. 5, 2023. According to 247Sports, Riordan listed as the No. 24 cornerback in the class of 2026.

Greg Biggins of 247Sports wrote that Riordan could be one of the best prospects in his class when it's all said and done.

"Strengths include his football instincts, ball awareness, ball skills and feel for the position. One of those players who plays fast, 1-2 steps ahead of everyone because of his instincts, how he reads the game and his feel for the position. Has some length to him. Good tackler in space, not a banger but gets guys to the ground. Projects as a high Power 4 prospect and a national recruit," Biggins said.

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Rancho Cucamonga defensive back RJ Sermons on a visit to USC. / RJ Sermons/X

Riordan joins fellow California defensive backs Rancho Cucamonga's RJ Sermons, St. John Bosco's Joshua Holland, and Loyola's Brandon Lockhart in the Trojans' class of 2026 recruiting class.

Sermons is the highest rated out of all the defensive backs and is currently USC's second highest-rated recruit. He is the No. 4 cornerback and No. 51 player in the class, according to 247Sports' rankings.

Lockhart isn't too far behind Sermons. He sits as the No. 8 cornerback and No. 80 player in the class. Lockhart is one of the longest standing commits in the class as he pledged to the Trojans back on Oct. 29, 2023.

Holland is one of the most interesting prospects in the class. Despite being listed as a three-star, he is one of the best two-way standouts in the class. Holland is projected to play defensive back at the next level.

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