USC Trojans 2026 Recruiting Numbers Reveal Dominant Statistic

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Ryan Harris | Last updated May 2, 2025 2:39 PM ET

When it comes to recruiting in college football, USC Trojans head coach Lincoln Riley is one of the best out there, securing high end talent every year.

Most notably, two of his highest ranking recruits ever include quarterbacks Spencer Rattler and Malachi Nelson, and he did not stop there.

In his first year with Oklahoma, his recruiting class saw CeeDee Lamb, Marquise Brown, and Trey Sermon all heading to the Sooners, where the two receivers became first-team All-Americans.

Riley's 2026 recruiting class thus far is no different, with 26 total recruits already, claiming 12 more than any other power four conference program in the country.

The Trojans currently hold the No. 1 ranked recruiting class in the country.

The next closest program in the country is Northern Illinois with 15, however 14 of them are less than three-star recruits. Clemson, the closest power four conference team, has 10 four-star recruits with 14 total.

To put it into perspective, the highest number of recruits among power four conference programs in the 2025 class is Syracuse with 35. Should USC keep up their incredible start, with a year to go, could crush that number with ease.

USC's incredible 2026 class leads with two five-star defenders in Xavier Griffin and RJ Sermons. With the recent recruitment of Elbert Hill, their defensive unit in this class is one of the best we have seen in years.

Riley's teams in the past have always been profoundly known as some of the best offenses in the country, and would not expect much deviation from that in the upcoming years.

Looking earlier into the 2025 class, their lone five-star is quarterback Husan Longstreet, who will potentially back up Jayden Maiava this year. Their class this season ranks No. 15 in the country.

As it is easy to already look forward to 2026 for the Trojans, this year in the Big 10 could be a storyline to keep an eye on as Riley looks to become a dominant program once again.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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