USC Trojans Recruiting: Four-Star Defensive Lineman Braeden Jones Commits to USC

Despite the USC Trojans' overtime loss to No. 3 Penn State, USC coach Lincoln Riley and his staff secured the commitment of four-star defensive line recruit Braeden Jones over Michigan, Ohio State, and Auburn.

Four-star recruit Braeden Jones on a visit to Auburn. / Christian Clemente / 247 Auburn

Four-star defensive lineman Braeden Jones committed to the USC Trojans on Sunday, Oct. 13, after visiting USC and the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum for their game against No. 3 Penn State. Despite the overtime loss to the Nittany Lions, USC coach Lincoln Riley and his staff were able to secure Jones' commitment.

A member of the 2026 recruiting class, Jones holds offers from Ohio State, Michigan, Auburn, and Ole Miss in addition to USC. According to the 247Sports Composite, Jones is the No. 146 player overall and the No. 15 defensive lineman in his recruiting class.

With a lot of time remaining between Jones' commitment to USC and his official enrollment, the Trojans will have to fight hard to keep him as a member of their 2026 recruiting class.

Four-star recruit Braeden Jones on a visit to Auburn. / Christian Clemente / 247 Aubur

"The LA vibe, the campus. The coaches and how appreciative they are of me. I really felt the love going down there," Jones said to Rivals' Greg Smith after announcing his commitment.

After the loss to Penn State, Riley was critical of his team's ability to finish.

"We've got to do a better job at the end of games. I have to do better job, our coaches, our players, because we're doing too many good things in situations where we have a lead and we can win and we got to get paid off for it. We got to be able to finish," said Riley.

Landing elite defensive line recruits like Jones should help the Trojans close out games against the physical teams in the Big Ten Conference.

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