Is USC Back? Lincoln Riley, Trojans Get More Big News In Rebuilding Project

The USC Trojans' football rebuilding project got another huge boost this week. 

Under former head coach Clay Helton, USC excelled at recruiting, pulling in top-10 classes after top-10 classes. But with a mediocre staff and poor development, on-field results lagged behind the level of talent in the locker room. Despite hiring high-priced Lincoln Riley ahead of the 2022 season, SC was caught completely unaware by the importance of NIL money in the modern recruiting world. 

New, significantly better coach, wildly different problems. Instead of winning the talent battle and losing the coaching battle, SC, particularly in 2024, had an elite staff and well-below-average talent.

With the offseason results this year, and another huge announcement on Friday afternoon, it appears things are finally on the verge of changing.

READ: Urban Meyer Roasts Lincoln Riley At USC, Forgets Recent Ohio State History

Lincoln Riley is on a recruiting winning streak, but can the USC coach parlay the success off the field into a championship on it? (Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images)

USC Adds To No. 1 Recruiting Class With Another Top Commit

USC has consistently held the No. 1 recruiting class in the country for 2026, and on Friday, it got even better. Top-5 wide receiver Ethan "Boobie" Feaster committed to the Trojans, pushing SC even further ahead in the recruiting race. 

Per On3/Rivals, SC sits ahead of Georgia, Notre Dame, Texas A&M and Ohio State with 31 overall recruits, including one five-star and 20 four-star commits. It's not just volume either; SC has an average rating of 90.87, which sits seventh overall. That's how rebuilding accelerates; quality and quantity.

And per ESPN's recruiting rankings, USC now has 18 commits in the top 300, including nine of the top 100 and 10 in the top 104. 

Yes, it's only July, with signing day months away and plenty of NIL negotiations to come. But it's been, quite literally, years since the Trojans were anywhere close to the top five or even top 10 in recruiting, let alone No. 1 overall. 

It might not happen this fall, with SC still relying on underwhelming classes in years past. But with former top quarterback recruit Husan Longstreet expected to take over as a starter in 2026, as well as a year of development from another top-5 player in Jakheem Stewart, 2026 could line up well for SC. 

It's about time for what used to be one of the country's top programs to return to form.