USC Trojans' Rival Heating Up on Recruiting Trail

Notre Dame Fighting Irish

The rival in question is the Notre Dame Fighting Irish, who landed two five-stars with edge rusher Abraham Sesay and interior offensive lineman Albert Simien. Sesay ranks as the No. 20 player in the country and is the No. 3 edge rusher, while Simien is the No. 19 player in the country and ranks as the No. 2 interior offensive lineman in the nation.

These are two major additions for Notre Dame, as this strengthens their 2027 class, which at this point places No. 2 in the country just behind the Texas A&M Aggies. Led by coach Marcus Freeman, Notre Dame seems to be building a roster that is built to compete now, but also has its sights on building for the future as well. 

In Freeman’s time with the Fighting Irish, he has posted an overall record of 43-12. With Freeman at the helm, Notre Dame has experienced great success in the regular season, but also in bowl games, as the Fighting Irish have gone 2-1 in bowl games under Freeman while also making a run to the national championship in 2024 by taking down Indiana, Georgia, and Penn State before ultimately falling to Ohio State.

As a result of just missing out on the College Football Playoff last season with a record of 10-2, Freeman and the Fighting Irish opted out of playing a bowl game and have as much motivation as ever to have a great performance during the 2026 season.

After beating the Trojans 34-24 at home last season, Notre Dame and USC will now go at least the next few seasons without playing, which means that the only time they could play is the postseason as of now. Regardless of that, the recruiting battle will be something to monitor to see if either program can flip recruits and who builds the better roster in an effort to have sustained success.

USC’s Top Recruits In The 2027 Class

While Notre Dame currently has the No. 2 recruiting class in the country for 2027, coach Lincoln Riley and the Trojans are not far off as they have the No. 10 class for next year in addition to hoisting the No. 1 class for 2026.

In the 2026 recruiting class, the Trojans landed two five-stars in defensive end Luke Wafle and tight end Mark Bowman. Heading into next season, it does seem quite likely that Wafle and Bowman will carve out rotational roles for themselves and could become cornerstones of the USC football program for the next few years.

When it comes to the 2027 class, the Trojans were also able to land a pair of five-stars in the form of cornerback Honor Fa’alave Johnson and edge rusher Mekai Brown. Both Johnson and Brown should become key contributors for USC when they step on campus in 2027, and could help the Trojans recruit more top talent to rise in the rankings before the recruitment process for next year’s class closes.

It is important to note that with the 2026 class containing 35 commits, the Trojans do not need nearly as many recruits for 2027, when also considering that Riley also uses the transfer portal to his advantage when patching up weaknesses on the roster. 

Based on that, USC may only add a few more players to next year’s class, but with the development of the 2026 recruits in addition to future players coming in through the transfer portal, the state of the roster should be able to compete in what is a very tough Big Ten conference.

With quarterback Jayden Maiava expected to declare for the 2027 NFL Draft, this upcoming season will be critical for the development of four-star quarterback Jonas Williams, whom USC recruited for the 2026 class.

If Williams does turn out to be the Trojans’ quarterback of the future, USC could be in a great spot to continue competing in the Big Ten and could potentially emerge as one of the more consistent national contenders.

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