USC Trojans, Lincoln Riley Surging For 4-Star EDGE Recruit Luke Wafle

Steve Wiltfong of On3 said that the Trojans have began to seriously emerge as a contender in Wafle's recruitment.

"Following a spring visit to campus, USC became a darkhorse for Hun School edge rusher Luke Wafle. After this past weekend’s official visit to USC they pushed their way into the forefront of the conversation with Texas, Ohio State and Penn State. I wouldn’t sleep on the Trojans moving forward with Wafle. Talking to sources that spent time with him on campus it was a terrific weekend," Wiltfong said.

The No. 6 edge rusher and No. 1 player from the state of New Jersey according to 247Sports Composite rankings, Wafle has been rising as a prospect after a strong junior campaign and it wouldn't be a surprise to see him finish as a consensus top 10 for edge rusher in the class.

Andrew Ivins of 247Sports believes that Wafle projects to be a contributor for a College Football Playoff contender at the next level.

"Not always the quickest off the snap, but has the awareness to move laterally and beat cutoffs. Likely to find most success in a similar alignment on Saturdays as he’s built for box-based football with his toughness and football IQ. Might need some time to find his footing, but projects as a potential impact player for a College Football Playoff contender that can do the dirty work," Ivins said.

Out of the seven defensive line commits the Trojans have, only two of them are listed as edge rushers with three-star Andrew Williams and four-star Braeden Jones leading the way for the position group. If USC lands Wafle's commitment, he would become the Trojans' highest rated edge rusher and would be their fourth highest-rated defensive lineman.

Wafle could also become the program's No. 30 commitment in their recruiting class, which is far and away the most in the cycle so far.

Four-star defensive lineman Simote Katoanga, Jaimeon Winfield, and Tomuhini Topui are all inside 247Sports top-100 rankings and are among the true standouts in the Trojans' 2026 recruiting class.

The Trojans arguably have the most amount of depth in their defensive trenches and the addition of a player like Wafle, would solidify USC's defensive line recruiting class as one of, if not the best in the country.