Tag: USC football recruiting

Maryland-based four-star receiver is offered by USC

USC has a good chance of landing a Baltimore receiver for the Class of 2025.

USC has its eyes on a future receiver. 6-foot, 170-pound wide receiver Romero Ison from Baltimore had over 2,600 yards of total offense last season, including 69 catches and 20 touchdowns. He is now a target for the USC Trojans.

Romero Ison has offers from USC, Penn State, Boston College, Florida, Kentucky, Michigan State, Syracuse, Pittsburgh, Virginia Tech and Indiana among others.

Ison is ranked as the No. 86 receiver in the Class of 2025 and the No. 15 player in the state of Maryland. The Trojans have made a lot of progress in recruiting to the defense. If there is one position group where the Trojans have had some recent success in recruiting on the offensive side of the ball, it is at the running back position. The Trojans added two new running backs over the past weekend to balance out their offense-versus-defense recruiting ledger. USC does need to bring in some receivers, however, to balance out the running back gains it has made. This is a chance for the Trojans to further augment their roster.

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Julian Lewis inks an NIL deal with Travis Scott’s Cactus Jack

Julian Lewis signed an NIL deal with Cactus Jack.

One of the nation’s top quarterback prospects has a hot new NIL deal. Julian Lewis, a five-star quarterback and a USC commit, has signed on to endorse the red-hot Cactus Jack brand.

Lewis is the No. 1 ranked player in the nation according to ESPN.

Cactus Jack is the brainchild of Travis Scott, one the top rapper/singer/songwriters as well as being a social media maven.

For those of you who are not familiar with Cactus Jack or Travis Scott, don’t worry. We here at USA TODAY High School Sports can fill you in on why this is significant.

OK, OK. We didn’t know either, but we did research about Scott and his brand. The takeaway? This is a big deal for Lewis.

Scott is a huge deal with four hits that went to No. 1 on the Billboard 100. His social media following is massive.

His apparel line, Cactus Jack, is hugely successful and considered trend-setting. Scott is an entrepreneur extraordinaire, with a net worth of $80 million.

 

Lewis will feature in the promotion of the “Jack Goes Back to College” line that was released to coincide with this weekend’s Final Four.

Ohio-based four-star running back is thinking about USC

Ohio State leads USC in this recruitment.

Ohio native and four-star running back Marquise Davis included USC in his top 10 on Wednesday. That list also included Michigan, Tennessee, Florida, Kentucky, Ohio State, Penn State, Mizzou, Texas A&M and West Virginia.

Davis is a 6-foot, 190-pound prospect from Cleveland. He is rated in 247Sports’ composite rankings as the No. 13 running back in the nation and the No. 7 player in the state of Ohio.

He finished his junior season in 2023 with 2,228 rushing yards (8.8 yards per carry) and 35 touchdowns. He also made 63 tackles (five for loss) with a sack, three interceptions, and four pass breakups on defense at linebacker.

Davis is expected to announce his commitment later this summer, with Ohio State being the favorite to land the running back. USC knows that winning recruiting battles against Ohio State not only adds players to the Trojans, but deprives a fellow Big Ten competitor of another puzzle piece. Wins are double victories, not just additions in themselves. Losses, accordingly, are double hits, not just individual recruiting losses. This is a high-stakes battle.

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Four-star cornerback Dorian Barney hasn’t given up on USC

USC once again goes into Georgia, looking for defensive help.

Dorian Barney, based in the state of Georgia, has narrowed his list of schools to a new top 12. That list includes the USC Trojans.

The top schools include Alabama, Clemson, Colorado, Florida State, Georgia, Notre Dame, LSU, Ohio State, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, and USC.

The Peach State product is ranked as the No. 33 player overall in the 2026 class and the No. 5 cornerback in the class, per 247Sports. He’s also the No. 4 prospect in state of Georgia.

Barney earned second-team MaxPreps Sophomore All-America honors by recording 32 total tackles and four interceptions. Barney also earned All-State and All-Region honors in back-to-back seasons.

Barney has visits with Clemson, South Carolina, and Ohio State lined up for the month of April.

You might already know that in 2025, USC has gained defensive recruits from the state of Georgia. The Trojans would love to extend their recruiting wins in Georgia to the 2026 class and broaden their sphere of influence in the state. USC is not going away from tough recruiting battles in SEC country, even as it moves into the Big Ten Conference. The Trojans are here to stay in terms of a truly national recruiting plan.

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Four-star linebacker Matai Tagoa’i adds substantial value to USC

Matt Entz joined Eric Henderson and Doug Belk in the recruiting winner’s circle at USC.

Top-100 prospect and four-star linebacker Matai Tagoai’ has committed to the USC Trojans football program, as we noted earlier in the week.

The 2025 safety/linebacker hybrid is a 6-foot-4, 190-pound prospect out of Faith Lutheran High School in Nevada.

Tagoa’i had additional offers from Alabama, Arizona, Arizona State, Auburn, Colorado State, Georgia, Notre Dame, Oklahoma, Ole Miss, Penn State, San Diego State, Tennessee, Texas, UCF, UNLV, USC, Utah and Washington.

Washington, Texas and Oklahoma were also finalists, but Tagoa’i eventually picked the Trojans.

Last fall, Tagoa’i had 73 tackles, 6 tackles for loss, 9 pass deflections, 2 fumble recoveries and an interception.

Analyst Greg Biggins believes Tagoa’i is one of the top linebackers in the country. He added that “At 6-4, 195 pounds, he has a projectable frame and does a little of everything well. He’s an explosive athlete with a quick get-off and can really get around the edge.  He has very good closing speed and can run down plays from behind. He’s a fluid athlete and looks natural dropping in coverage and plays with a nice edge in his game as well.”

The key point about Tagoa’i is that as a linebacker, he balances out a 2025 class which has picked up a number of recruits on the defensive line and in the secondary. Matt Entz has joined the recruiting rush led by Eric Henderson and boosted by Doug Belk. There’s more balance in this 2025 defensive recruiting haul at USC.

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Four-star defensive back Jaydn Hudson puts USC front and center

USC has a legitimate chance in this recruitment.

2025 Pittsburg (California) safety Jadyn Hudson has announced his top schools. The USC Trojans have made the list.

USC appears on the list along with Tennessee, UCLA and Ohio State.

Hudson has already visited with USC four times so far, more than any other school. Hudson made it clear that he loved how the Trojans used Calen Bullock the last few years.

“I like the environment of the school. I like coach Riley,” Hudson said about USC.

Hudson is the No. 190 overall prospect, No. 16 safety, and the No. 19 prospect in the state of California in the 2025 cycle, according to the On3 Industry Ranking.

You have seen Doug Belk make some real recruiting gains in recent weeks. Eric Henderson — “Coach Henny” — has led the way, but Belk has joined him in boosting USC’s efforts on the trail. The Trojans are beefing up multiple position groups. The defensive line is the focus of the most urgency, but the secondary has truly grown as well. USC has a chance to further augment its back line of defense in this recruitment. By all appearances, the Trojans have a legitimate chance.

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2025 five-star offensive lineman Michael Fasusi elevates USC

USC trails Texas in the recruitment for an elite offensive lineman.

Five-star Lewisville (Texas) offensive tackle Michael Fasusi has announced his top schools. The USC Trojans have made the cut for the Texas native.

The Trojans made the list alongside Texas, Oregon, Texas A&M, Oklahoma, Georgia, and Missouri.

Standing at 6’4 and close to 300 pounds, Fasusi is highly versatile offensive lineman with experience at both tackle and guard spots, but his future is clearly set at offensive tackle due to his quickness and impressive footwork.

According to the 247Sports composite, Fasusi is currently rated as the 11th-ranked prospect in the 2025 cycle, the second-ranked offensive tackle, and the third-ranked prospect in the state of Texas.

His highest marks come from ESPN and Rivals.com, who both have him ranked as the No. 3 offensive tackle in the nation.

Per On3’s Recruiting Prediciton Machine, Texas is seen as the favorite at 88.5 percent. USC is not expected to land a five-star offensive lineman, one of its central recruiting needs under Lincoln Riley and Josh Henson.

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USC offers four-star receiver and recent Ohio State decommit Jayvan Boggs

Can USC capitalize on an Ohio State loss in recruiting?

Four-star Florida-based wide receiver Jayvan Boggs decommitted from Ohio State last week. Now the Class of 2025 prospect has picked up an offer from the USC Trojans’ staff.

Jayvan Boggs is a 6-foot, 188-pound receiver out of Cocoa, Florida. He is rated as the No. 24 wide receiver, the No. 27 player in the state, and the No. 189 recruit overall in his class, per the 247Sports composite. The Cocoa High School star currently holds over 20 offers including offers from Georgia, Michigan, North Carolina and Florida.

Boggs’ junior season earned him Mr. Football honors in the state of Florida in 2023. His 93 catches, 1,500 receiving yards and 24 touchdowns are single-season school records.

The USC 2025 recruiting class has grown in quality, depth, and defensive prowess in recent weeks. Most of the recruiting wins in the past two weeks have been on the defensive side of the ball. USC needs some wins on offense. The Trojans have gained a few of their 2025 players from Florida. Here’s another foray into the Sunshine State for the Men of Troy. They need a more complete 2025 class, and part of that means getting more skill-position help.

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Four-star WR Corey Simms lists top 12, including USC

The Trojans are in the running for a St. Louis receiver.

St. Louis Christian Brothers receiver Corey Simms has narrowed his top schools down to 12. USC football has made the cut.

Simms, a four-star prospect, already has official visits set up with USC (June 7), Nebraska (June 14) and Missouri (June 21) lined up for late spring.

Arkansas, Georgia, LSU, Kansas, Miami, Michigan, Missouri, Nebraska, Ole Miss, Penn State, Tennessee and USC are the top 12.

USC receiver coach Dennis Simmons and head coach Lincoln Riley offered Simms back in January. His visit on June 7 could be what lands the Missouri native with the Trojans.

Nebraska is the current favorite to land Simms at the moment.

USC has made a big splash in the recruiting industry over the past week and a half, but this Trojan gold rush in recruiting has been heavily tilted to the defensive side of the ball. The Trojans still have a need to stockpile talent on the offensive side of the ball, including the skill positions. This recruitment, if won, would move the Trojans in that direction and provide a lot of balance to the players they are bringing in right now. Keep your eyes on this recruitment.

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2025 cornerback Trestin Castro commits to USC football, beefing up a rapidly-growing class

USC adds yet another defensive recruit for 2025.

Upland (California) 2025 three-star cornerback Trestin Castro has committed to the USC football program.

The 6-foot-2, 160-pound cornerback chose the Trojans over offers from Washington, Cal, Arizona, and Colorado.

Castro was very productive as a sophomore last season, totaling 58 tackles, picking off seven passes (one returned for a touchdown), and recovering a pair of fumbles.

Castro is the eighth commitment in USC’s 2025 class. He joins five-star Georgia quarterback Julian Lewis, Georgia natives Justus Terry and Isaiah Gibson, Florida-based Hylton Stubbs, California linebacker Matat’i Tagoa’i, Texas defensive lineman Gus Gordova, and three-star Texas running back Riley Wormley, who committed on Sunday. USC is getting its recruits from sunny, warm-weather states, but that’s a somewhat superficial detail. What’s more relevant is that USC is balancing the ability to keep California recruits home with the need to go into SEC states with considerable amounts of talented players. It’s not as though USC should tend to one detail without devoting similar effort to the other. USC can do both, and the Trojans are showing signs of doing that in their 2025 class. USC continues to build more than just its 2025 class; the Trojans continue to load up on defense, a product of the clear change in identity and reputation ushered in by Lincoln Riley’s changes to his defensive coaching staff.

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