USC Trojans' Recruiting Momentum Under Lincoln Riley Slowing Down?

Summer Recruiting Winners Ranked

1. Oregon Ducks

2. Alabama Crimson Tide

3. Texas Longhorns

4. Georgia Bulldogs

5. Notre Dame Fighting Irish

6. USC Trojans

7. Texas A&M Aggies

8. Michigan Wolverines

9. Tennessee Volunteers

10. Florida State Seminoles

USC Trojans Snubbed?

Is it a snub for USC to rank No. 6 in 'Summer winners' when it has the No. 1-ranked recruiting class for 2026? A look at the highlights of USC's recruiting wins...

Duluth (Ga.) four-star cornerback Peyton Dyer got things started when he announced his pledge on June 8, after visiting campus for the Trojans first official visit weekend. He was back at USC a couple of weeks later to work out in front of the coaching staff. 

Dyer began pursuing the former South Carolina commit at the beginning of this year. And after a trip to Los Angeles in April, Dyer decommitted from the Gamecocks.

The Georgia native is one four cornerbacks committed to the Trojans in the 2026 cycle, joining five-star Elbert Hill, four-star cornerback Brandon Lockhart and three-star Joshua Holland. 

Everything changed for Kahuku (Hawaii) four-star linebacker Talanoa Ili after he attended USC’s Junior Day in early February. The event provided him the first opportunity to meet general manager Chad Bowden. Ili then returned to campus in March for a more intimate visit. 

The highly coveted linebacker was a three-year starter at nearby Orange Lutheran (Calif.), before he transferred to the islands this spring. Bowden, the Trojans staff and several other commits in the 2026 class, made it a priority to bring Ili back to Southern California. 

Defensive ends coach Shaun Nua and linebackers coach Rob Ryan made two in-home visits in May. Ili took his official visit the same weekend as Dyer and announced his pledge to USC over crosstown rival UCLA on June 15. 

Ili wasn’t the only commitment the Trojans landed that week. After his recruitment swayed in different directions for a couple of months, Hun School (N.J.) five-star EDGE Luke Wafle committed to USC on June 19.

USC has loaded up on the defensive front, holding a total of eight commitments. 

Wafle was being heavily pursued by schools such as Ohio State, Penn State and Florida, but the No. 1 overall recruit in New Jersey ultimately decided he was going to head to the opposite coast. 

Wafle first visited USC in April with his family and was blown by his time in Los Angeles. Defensive line coach Eric Henderson and defensive ends coach Shaun Nua made an in-home visit in May and Wafle decided to add an official visit with the Trojans to his busy summer itinerary. 

The five-star recruit took his visit the second weekend in June, where he was the only uncommitted prospect on campus. Several USC commits, including four-star quarterback Jonas Williams were active in their pursuit of Wafle. 

Williams also put on his recruiting hat with DeSoto (Texas) four-star receiver Ethan “Boobie” Feaster. He made sure he was in town at the same time as Feaster when he took his official visit that first weekend in June.

Several SEC programs, including Texas A&M, LSU and Alabama were in-play for the highly coveted pass-catcher from the Lone Star State, but was the Trojans who won out on his recruitment when he announced his pledge on the Fourth of July. Feaster became the fifth receiver to join USC’s recruiting class. 

IMG Academy (Fla.) four-star IOL Breck Kolojay rounds of the summer commitments. Kolojay chose the Trojans on Aug. 1 over offers from Georgia and Miami. 

Similar to Wafle, Kolojay only visited USC twice, but he was left impressed after each of those trips. Kolojay also has strong relationships with several members of the 2026 class. For starters, he is roommates with five-star offensive tackle Keenyi Pepe at IMG. 

Kolojay, who is originally from Colorado, played youth football with five-star tight end Mark Bowman and three-star offensive tackle Kannon Smith. 

Filling Out 2026 Recruiting Class 

USC holds 32 commitments in the 2026, the most in the country, but still plan to add to a few more prospects. 

Corona Centennial (Calif.) three-star tight end Keawe Brown is a big target. Brown has been a fast riser this spring and after backing out his silent commitment with Texas last month, serval suitors, including his hometown Trojans are in the mix. 

USC would also like to add another safety, Sierra Canyon (Calif.) three-star Madden Riordan is the only commitment they have that position. 

The Trojans could also push for another linebacker to pair with Ili, four-star Shaun Scott and three-star Taylor Johnson. Linebacker depth was a concern in the spring and there are still some question marks heading into the season, so it’s definitely a position they would like to continue to address.