There is a lot of excitement brewing about next year’s USC football recruiting class. The Trojans have the No. 1 recruiting class in 2026. However, the talent acquisition this offseason at USC can not be glossed over. Lincoln Riley and staff hit it hard in the transfer portal and added some freshmen with great potential.
Adrian Medina dove deep into Lincoln Riley’s mindset on how well the Trojans did this offseason in a Sporting Tribune write-up.
“A major focus of USC’s offseason was their use of the transfer portal and the large amount of talent they acquired, totaling 16 players from the portal. Additionally, the Trojans are welcoming 13 freshmen to the team.
“When you’re at USC, the core beliefs in terms of how you build a program is always going to start from your high school recruiting, specifically in Los Angeles, and then your ability to develop that,” Riley said in regard to his core high school recruits and their development. “That’s where we want to be long term, and it’s where we have always wanted to be long term, and I think that’s why you are seeing us recruiting the way that we have.”
It is always good when a program can build for tomorrow and has the talent to win today. Defensive growth for the Trojans was a huge emphasis this offseason. Eight of the transfers this season were on the defensive side of the ball. One was son of Hall Of Fame linebacker Brian Urlacher, safety Kennedy Urlacher from rival Notre Dame.
The 2025 recruiting class for the Trojans was ranked 13th by 247Sports, and outside the top 10 in a majority of rankings. Yet, this class still features some upside with with four-star tackles Alex Payne and Aaron Dunn, as well as four-star defensive backs Trestin Castro and Alex Graham.
Lincoln Riley’s confidence in this year’s team is a lot higher due to the great work he and his staff did this offseason. He and the Trojans are looking to meet high expectations this fall and make this year a success. Who says USC has to wait to be great until 2026? USC can start winning now.
This article originally appeared on Trojans Wire: USC 2026 recruiting class is getting the buzz, but don’t forget about 2025
Reporting by Micah Huff, Trojans Wire / Trojans Wire
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