USC Trojans No. 1-Ranked Recruiting Class Turning Heads: Xavier Griffin, RJ Sermons

The noise USC is making isn't going unnoticed as Eli Lederman of ESPN listed the Trojans as one of the top five programs with mometum buiilding on the recruiting front.

"Commitments from [RJ} Sermons and four-star recruit Brandon Lockhart give USC pledges from two of ESPN's top 10 cornerback prospects. Xavier Griffin, ESPN's No. 3 outside linebacker and No. 27 overall recruit, is another cornerstone commit on defense alongside four-star defensive end Simote Katoanga, the most recent addition to Lincoln Riley's class," Lederman wrote.

Katoanga, Sermons, and Lockhart are apart of USC's concerted effort to bring in more recruits from California, particularly Southern California. Seven of their 11 commits come from the greater Los Angeles area.

In fact, all four of the Trojans' defensive backs commits hail from Southern California. USC may not be done with in-state defensive backs. The Trojans are in the mix for two 2026 defensive backs from Southern California in Davon Benjamin and Havon Finney.

Finney recently re-classified from the class of 2027 to 2026 in hopes of enrolling early. He is also teammates with longtime 2026 commit Madden Riordan.

Benjamin and USC have shown mutual interest in each other. The safety from USC plans on visiting the Trojans on Thursday, March 5.

Despite the blend of local talent, the Trojans' top offensive and defensive recruits hail from out of state. Defensively, Griffin hails from Georgia and is the state's No. 1 prospect according to 247Sports. Offensively, USC's lone running back commit, Shahn Alston, is the No. 119 prospect in the country and the No. 5 player from the state of Illinois. Right behind Alston is USC's latest offensive commitment. The Trojans were able to flip four-star quarterback Jonas Williams from the Oregon Ducks.

MORE: Why 4-Star Quarterback Jonas Williams Committed To USC Trojans Over Oregon Ducks

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USC's general manager, Chad Bowden, has been emphasized the importance of building the foundation of their recruiting classes on local talent.

“History repeats itself. It always does, and if you look into fine details of how programs are built and how the place is built and when success has happened, that was a key part of USC being at the top. My plan and my vision is to bring that back and to take care of this state. The state deserves it," Bowden said.

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