USC Trojans, Eric Musselman Pushing for No. 1 Basketball Recruit in 2026 Class

USC coach Eric Musselman has taken over the men's basketball program, and using the Trojans' Southern California footprint as well as national brand to land top recruits has seemingly been a point of emphasis.

In the class of 2025, Musselman and the Trojans landed five-star shooting guard Alijah Arenas. Although he suffered a knee injury that will reportedly sideline him for six to eight months, Arenas committing to USC has been Musselman's biggest win on the recruiting trail with the Trojans.

According to 247Sports, Arenas is the third-highest rated commit in USC basketball history behind only current Cleveland Browns star Evan Mobley (No. 2) and Sacramento Kings star Isaiah Collier (No. 1).

"I'm down to five schools as some people know. I don't think I'm going to take any more visits from this point on. I feel like it's so late in the recruitment, for me at least, to take more visits and talk to new coaches. . . I like the five schools that I'm with right now, and I'm gonna just take my time," Stokes told Biancardi on ESPN2 at the Border League.

The Border League is a preseason high school tournament in Las Vegas that features top college and NBA prospects, like Stokes.

Oregon Ducks, Kentucky Wildcats Lead?

According to On3's Joe Tipton, the Kentucky Wildcats are currently the leader in Stokes' recruitment, followed by the Oregon Ducks.

"Kentucky is the school that comes up the most often. Mark Pope and the Wildcats have made Stokes their top priority and present him an opportunity to return to his home state and play on one of the biggest stages in the college basketball. I personally think Kentucky has the momentum in this recruitment," wrote Tipton.

Stokes recently signed a Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) deal with Nike, leading many to believe that Louisville and Kansas (Adidas schools) are out of the running. After losing out on five-star small forward Tajh Ariza from the Southern California area, can USC land Stokes, the top prospect in the state?

Out of Stokes' finalists, Kentucky has the best odds of winning the National Championship in 2026 at +1700, according to FanDuel Sportsbook. The Wildcats are tied with Florida, the defending champions, for the fifth-best odds in the country.

Oregon is much more of a long shot to win the national title with odds at +8000, per FanDuel Sportsbook.

• Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change. 
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