USC Trojans 5-Star Recruit Luke Wafle's Status Changes In Updated Recruiting Rankings

The Trojans landed Wafle on June 19 after an intense recruiting battle with Ohio State and Penn State over the past few months. 

Wafle made his first trip to Los Angeles with his family in April to watch a spring practice inside the Coliseum, where 150 alumni were also in-attendance. He spent time in the defensive meeting rooms and met with several coaches. 

Overall, Wafle was blown away by his experience, but still the Trojans seemed like a little bit of a long shot with official visit season looming. Southern Cal quickly made him a high priority in the 2026 cycle. USC defensive line coach Eric Henderson and defensive ends coach Shaun Nua made a coast-to-coast trip of their own in May to visit Wafle in New Jersey. 

After meeting with Henderson and Nua again, the five-star recruit added to the Trojans to his busy summer itinerary. He took his official visit the weekend of June 13, the same time as Lincoln-Way East (Ill.) four-star quarterback and USC commit Jonas Williams. 

“I was around him a lot. I kind of helped recruit him," Williams said. “We went golfing. I’ve been around him a lot so I would like to say I played a part in that hopefully.”

The Trojans have prioritized California in recruiting, but at the same time have expanded its recruiting footprint to the Midwest and East Coast since joining the Big Ten.

Wafle comes from a football family. His father, David, played defensive line for Duke in the 1990s and his older brother, Owen, who originally signed with Michigan in the 2024 cycle, is now a redshirt freshman defensive lineman for Penn State. 

The 6-foot-5.5, 255-pound three-sport athlete has a college ready build and skillset. Wafle possesses a great combination of speed, power and athleticism that could cause problems in the Big Ten for years to come. 

Wafle is part of an impressive defensive line recruiting class that also features, four-star EDGE Simote Katoanga, four-star defensive lineman Jaimeon Winfield, Tomuhini Topui and Braeden Jones, three-star EDGE Andrew Williams and three-star defensive lineman Malik Brooks and Jake Johnson. 

Folsom (Calif.) four-star offensive tackle and USC commit Vlad Dyakonov jumped over 50 spots in the latest rankings from No. 155 to No. 102. Duluth (Ga.) four-star cornerback and USC commit Peyton Dyer jumped almost 100 spots from No. 245 to No. 159.