USC Once Again Has The Top Recruiting Class In The Country

The USC Trojans have not found much success on the field in the last two seasons, but a complete reorganization of their athletic department and an increased focus on NIL is paying massive dividends off it.

For several years, USC has lagged behind other blueblood programs in the Big Ten and SEC in recruiting. While big-name teams like Alabama, Ohio State and Michigan immediately ramped up NIL efforts and dedicated resources to hiring general managers and recruiting directors, USC did little in the way of modernizing its strategy.

And while there are plenty of things to blame their underwhelming performance in 2023 and 2024 on, the lack of high-end talent is maybe the most important. Not anymore.

USC hired Chad Bowden away from Notre Dame to be the program's general manager. The administration moved to work closely with the outside House of Victory NIL collective. New athletic director Jenn Cohen made a concerted effort to fix the program's lackluster administration. Thus far, it's paying off in a big way, as the Trojans just secured another massive commitment on Thursday morning.

Los Angeles, CA - March 25:USC head coach Lincoln Riley at the first day of USC spring Football practice on Tuesday, March 25, 2025.   (Photo by David Crane/MediaNews Group/Los Angeles Daily News via Getty Images)

USC Recruiting Continues To Dominate Against Big Programs

Offensive tackle Keenyi Pepe announced his commitment to USC this week, sitting 44th overall, per On3, and significantly higher on other recruiting ranking sites. He's the sixth offensive lineman to commit to USC this cycle, and the Trojans are still in the mix for two other big o-line targets.

The 2026 recruiting cycle is far from being finalized. But as of May 1, thanks to Pepe's commitment, USC sits first in the On3 Football Recruiting Rankings. And importantly, they have quantity and quality.

Second place LSU has 10 commits for the 2026 class. USC? 25. Two five stars, 11 four stars, 11 three stars. It's a remarkable turnaround for a program that finished the 2025 cycle in 15th under the same ranking system. And 18th in the 2024 class.

There's plenty that can happen between now and signing day, but head coach Lincoln Riley is suddenly a lot closer to having the talent to compete with Ohio State, Texas and Alabama. 

Talent alone isn't enough to turn the Trojans around after years of disappointment. But as Ohio State showed last year, and Texas' extremely expensive roster will likely demonstrate this year, it certainly helps.

READ: Texas Actually Spending $35-$40 Million On Its Football Roster This Season? Welcome To The New Era

It might not be in 2025, but for 2026 and beyond, USC might be right back to being where it belongs: among the top teams in the country.