USC Trojans Predicted To Land Elite California Recruits In 2026 Class

The 2025 Early National Signing Period has come and gone, and the USC Trojans are gaining momentum for the 2026 recruiting cycle. The Trojans are trending towards landing numerous blue-chip prospects. Can USC put together an elite recruiting class?

Nov 30, 2024; Los Angeles, California, USA; Southern California Trojans head coach Lincoln Riley reacts 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

The 2025 Early National Signing Period has come and gone, and the USC Trojans have shifted all of their focus to the 2026 recruiting cycle where they are quickly gaining momentum. 

Four-star Harvey (OH) running back Shahn Alston was in town as part of a star-stuffed weekend for the Trojans win over the Nebraska Cornhuskers on Nov. 16. On3’s Steve Wiltfong recently logged an expert prediction for USC to land the Ohio native. 

“This visit was great,” Alston told On3 in November. “It was the best I’ve been on yet. I already had high interest in USC, but this trip put them over the top. I’d say USC is a front-runner in my recruitment along with Penn State and Wisconsin. 

Nov 30, 2024; Los Angeles, California, USA; Southern California Trojans head coach Lincoln Riley reacts 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

Four-star Rancho Cucamonga (CA) cornerback RJ Sermons narrowed his list to five schools, USC, Oregon, Alabama, Georgia and Washington. Sermons is rated as the No. 1 cornerback and No. 11 overall prospect, per the On3 rankings. The Trojans have lost numerous recruiting battles in the past, including the 2025 cycle for elite in-state prospects to west coast foe Oregon and many schools in the south, like Alabama and Georgia. 

Sermons is right in the Trojans backyard, playing his high school football less than 50 miles from USC’s campus. His father, Rodney Sermons played running back for the Trojans from 1994-97. Sermons has been a frequent visitor on campus, logging multiple visits in the spring and summer. He was also in attendance to watch USC play Wisconsin on Sep. 28, Penn State on Oct. 12, Nebraska on Nov. 16 and Notre Dame on Nov. 30.

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“Every time I go to USC, it’s always a great time. Me and my dad (Rodney Sermons) always like it, so I’ll be back as many times as possible,” Sermons told On3. “I love the environment and everything about it is great. I’ve been around LA since I was little and the football is great. There’s a lot of places that try to be like it, but I feel like there’s no place like LA.”

USC is also trending for four-star Lakewood (CA) tight end Caleb Tafau. Coach Lincoln Riley said in October that “recruiting California will always be priority No. 1” 

The Trojans currently have the No. 4 ranked class for the 2026 cycle, per the On3 Industry Rankings. They have six commitments: four-star Gainesville (GA) linebacker Xavier Griffin, four-star Loyola (CA) cornerback Brandon Lockhart, four-star Mount Carmel (IL) defensive lineman Braedon Jones, three-star Los Alamitos (CA) receiver Ja’Myron Baker, three-star St. John Bosco (CA) athlete Joshua Holland and three-star Sierra Canyon (CA) athlete Madden Riordan. 

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