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USC has come back to life.
Coach Lincoln Riley has done some phenomenal recruiting this offseason – and it had very little to do with top 2026 prospects.
The hiring of a recruiting department led by general manager Chad Bowden has rejuvenated the Trojans, how elite local prospects view the program’s direction and how much they’re talking about playing at USC again.
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There is a legitimate front-office feel at USC these days in quantity and quality that could push the Trojans back to the elite of college football. It’s something of a birthright that USC is in the playoff conversation.
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Bowden recently talked with Rivals about his vision for the program, how he and Riley are unified in their approach and what needs to get accomplished to bring USC back into the national title picture.
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The transfer portal will be crucial for pieces but recruiting classes will be built through the high school ranks. And some of the best high school football talent anywhere is down the road from USC.
“The culture of what you’re building has to be through high school because you’ll have the opportunity to be with these kids for four or five years,” Bowden said. “That has to be the focus. We’re still going to go in the portal but it’s not going to be a huge emphasis. It’s going to be getting the right kids in high school.
“You can build a team around high school recruiting. You can build a culture around high school recruiting. Especially if the kids you bring in value what a USC degree can do for them, the coaches and the type of relationships and development we offer these young people.
“All the things USC offers these kids that they wanted just as bad as we wanted them and they’re here for all the right reasons, we can build a culture around that and we’re going to bring that in through high school. It’s going to be a massive focus in this next class.”
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It already is.
USC has jumped out to the No. 1 recruiting class in 2026 and while that’s largely due to quantity with 20 commitments (no other team in the top 20 has more than 14) there is also impressive quality for the Trojans including many local standouts. On Saturday, four-star running back Deshonne Redeaux from Westlake Village (Calif.) Oaks Christian joined the class.
Also important that shouldn’t go unnoticed: Bellflower (Calif.) St. John Bosco coach Jason Negro and members of his staff were at a spring practice last week.
That has been a rare sight in recent years as coaches and recruiting staffers from local elite programs have privately complained that they were somewhat forgotten by the USC staff.
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The next big step would be to get Santa Ana (Calif.) Mater Dei coach Raul Lara and some of his assistants there as well. The Trinity League in Southern California is arguably the best nationally and inviting those coaches over to campus is a major step in the right direction.
There is still a lot of work to do.
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USC has gone from 11-3 to 8-5 to 7-6 in Riley’s three seasons. This is still a program that fired Lane Kiffin on the LAX tarmac and then held onto Clay Helton for probably far too long because he was a nice guy.
Alabama (led by general manager Courtney Morgan, who has significant Los Angeles ties) came in last recruiting cycle and landed California’s top-two prospects. Only two of the top-27 prospects in the state last cycle landed with the Trojans. Oregon has done as it pleases in California. Georgia dips in at will and flipped a bunch of USC commits last cycle. Texas and others are doing work.
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But USC is battling hard in 2026. The Trojans already flipped high four-star quarterback Jonas Williams and four-star defensive tackle Tomuhini Topui from Oregon. They’ve loaded up at other positions and they’re working on elite in-state players.
Five-star quarterback Ryder Lyons recently visited although that looks like a stretch after Williams’ pledge. Five-stars Richard Wesley and especially Brandon Arrington and Havon Finney Jr. are major targets. USC is heating up with star tight end Mark Bowman and intriguing Georgia receiver commit Vance Spafford once again.
“You can build a team around high school recruiting. You can build a culture around high school recruiting.”
If the lifeblood of any program is recruiting, USC is pumping again and that could bring meaningful results fast on the field.
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“We want the very best players that are in this city and in this state to play for USC and stay home,” Bowden said. “We have respect for every high school and I believe the best high school football is played in California. That is my true belief and it’s always been my belief.
“The main focus needs to be keeping these kids close to home and keeping them in California. California is such a big state and it has such great high school football players not only in L.A. but San Diego, Oakland, the Bay Area, everywhere in between there is such great high school football. We keep these kids close to home, keep them in the state and build a fence around California, build a fence in L.A. it’s going to pay huge dividends.”
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Editor’s Note: This article first appeared on Rivals.com, the leader in college football and basketball recruiting coverage. Be the first to know and follow your teams by signing up here.
