Tag: USC recruiting

USC loses to Michigan in battle for top receiver

USC will hope to beat Michigan on the field in September after losing a recruitment in August.

USC football lost a recruiting battle for 2025 Fulshear (Texas) native Andrew Marsh from Katy Jordan High School. Michigan won this particular recruitment.

The four-star wide receiver’s final list included Colorado, USC, Michigan, Texas and Washington.

Last year in his junior season he totaled 65 receptions, 1,158 yards, 17.8 yards per catch, and 15 touchdowns.

Marsh is the nation’s No. 62 overall prospect, No. 11 wide receiver and No. 13 recruit from the state of Texas in the 2025 cycle according to the On3 Industry Ranking

Marsh said this on his visit to USC: “Great visit, coaches and atmosphere. To top it off, I got a chance to experience it with my family. I like the whole vibe my family and I got hanging out with the coaches and their families. My mom and sisters said they we very welcoming to them plus my nieces had fun with their kids.”

Michigan was trending to land Marsh’s commitment, according to the On3 Recruiting Prediction Machine (RPM). That prediction proved to be accurate. Wolverines Wire has more on this story.

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How much does the tight end position mean at USC?

USC football shows it continues to value the tight end spot on its roster.

How much does the tight end position mean to the USC football program? The Trojans are recruiting a four-star 2026 tight end from Decatur (Ill.) and Mount Zion High School. JC Anderson has been offered by USC and its football staff.

Some of his other top offers so far include the Georgia, Michigan, Florida, Oregon, Tennessee, Penn State, Texas A&M, Nebraska, Missouri, Ole Miss, Wisconsin, Michigan State, Iowa, Virginia Tech, Minnesota, Arkansas, Kansas, Notre Dame and Illinois among others.

Anderson is considered a four-star recruit by 247Sports, Rivals and On3. All platforms see Anderson similarly, currently sitting as the No. 103, No. 133 and No. 135 overall player respectively. Rivals also has him ranked as the No. 1 overall player in the state of Illinois.

In 10 games last season as a sophomore, the 6-7, 235-pound tight end had 30 receptions for 307 yards and three touchdowns.

There are no Crystal Ball projections at this time, but LSU will have to fend off Illinois, which is a 33% favorite to land him per On3.

Anderson isn’t in a rush to make a commitment. Experiencing several schools opened his eyes to several opportunities. “Every single visit had something special to it,” said Anderson. “Every school is great and every coaching staff is great.  Anderson said to Irish Sports Daily.

USC has great wide receivers and needs more offensive line depth. Yet, USC continues to recruit the tight end position vigorously. It means a lot.

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Five-star 2025 guard puts USC basketball in last eight

USC has a top-three 2025 player in its sights.

Darryn Peterson, the No. 3 overall prospect and No. 1 combo guard in college basketball’s 2025 recruiting class, is down to eight finalists. That list includes the USC basketball program.

According to On3’s Joe Tipton those schools include Ohio State, USC, Kentucky, Lousivlle, Kansas, Washington and Arizona State.

Tipton added that Darryn’s father, Darryl, stated that the current plan is to visit Kansas State in August, Arizona State, Ohio State and Washington in September, Louisville and Kentucky in October and then make a commitment by November. A visit to Kansas has already been made.

The Huntington Prep (WV) star has been highly impressive on the Adidas circuit this summer. Peterson impressed many and continued to earn elite reviews from scouts, coaches, and media members. Eric Musselman continues to be ambitious in his recruiting approach, taking big swings and betting that he will hit the ball out of the park on one or two of them. Getting one big star and surrounding him with role players could give USC the makings of a top team in the future.

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Recruiting continues for USC staff, but 2024 season takes first place

The coaching staff has made an effort on the trail, but now the job of winning games arrives.

USC football recruiting continues, even as the season arrives. Saint Ignatius offensive lineman Will Conroy from Cleveland has received an offer from the USC Trojans. Coach Josh Henson has kept the ball rolling this summer.

The 6-foot, 3-inch, 275-pounder recently named Arizona State, Oklahoma, Miami, Michigan and Florida in his top list of schools.

Conroy is ranked as the nation’s No. 328 overall prospect according to the 247Sports Composite Rankings the No. 27 interior offensive lineman and the 14th ranked player in the state of Ohio for the 2026 class.

On3’s Recruiting Prediction Machine, had Ohio State and Oregon leading the chance to land him with Oregon at 57% and Ohio State was right on the Ducks’ heels with a 40% chance.

With neither school making his final cut, it looks like Michigan is in the lead now; at the time they were third in the race with less than a 1% chance.

USC has officially entered the chat.

All of this having been said, the Trojans and their coaches know the most important thing right now is to deliver a big 2024 season. That, more than anything else, will improve future recruiting cycles.

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Four-star offensive tackle lists USC in top three schools

USC is trying to secure the kinds of recruiting wins it needs to change the landscape.

The USC Trojans are in a battle with the Penn State Nittany Lions and Auburn Tigers for one of the nation’s top offensive linemen. Four-star offensive tackle Malachai Goodman from Paramus Catholic HS in New Jersey has named USC football as one of the three finalists for his commitment.

“There is no order with the three schools,” Goodman said in an interview with On3. “At all three schools, it is the offensive line group and the coaching staffs that stand out tells On3’s Chad Simmons

Goodman is the 125th-ranked player in his class on 247 Sports, the sixth-ranked at his position and the third-ranked player from New Jersey.

Penn State holds the slight edge for Goodman according to On3’s Recruiting Prediction Machine while Auburn has a 13% chance and USC sits at 10.9%. USC offensive line coach Josh Henson is trying to build momentum on the trail and get USC to a point where it is not only accumulating big-fish-type players but is walling off other Big Ten programs such as Penn State from getting more of them.

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USC loses battle for four-star 2025 OL Nick Brooks

Nick Brooks chooses Texas over USC.

Nick Brooks, a 2025 offensive lineman, has announced his college commitment, which came down to USC football, Texas and Georgia. Brooks has committed to Texas. He chose the Longhorns in this three-school competition.

The four-star Loganville (Ga.) Grayson offensive tackle is a former Iowa commit who recently moved back to the state of Georgia for his final high school season after spending part of it in Iowa.

As a junior, Brooks committed to the Iowa Hawkeyes but reopened his commitment less than two months later.

Brooks is rated as a four-star talent by ESPN, 247Sports and Rivals. ESPN ranks Brooks as the No. 122 player overall in the 2025 class, as the No. 17 offensive tackle in the class.

This is what the 6-foot-8 and 355-pound offensive tackle from Grayson High School had to say on Steve Sarkisian and the Texas program:

“It’s just the family, the overall family atmosphere, NIL, the coaching staff. It was a lot of things. I just feel myself being there emotionally and physically. I can see the people that I’m working with. The players, they’re calling me to check on me, even the QBs. Not many guys are talking to the QBs.”Brooks told 247Sports.

Here’s a look at Brooks’ junior season Hudl highlights.

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USC and Eric Musselman take big swings, knowing they might miss

USC is being fearless in its men’s basketball recruiting. The philosophy: You can’t make the shots you don’t take.

A.J. Dybantsa is no longer considering the USC Trojans as one of his top schools. Eric Musselman absorbed a loss when the nation’s No. 1 recruit in the 2025 class announced his list of schools. That list included Alabama, Auburn, Baylor, BYU, Kansas, Kansas State and North Carolina. Dybantsa announced his finalists to ESPN.

“I’m looking to build a relationship with a head coach who doesn’t sugarcoat anything, but we can still have that bond both on and off the court,” he said. “[We can] talk about things on and off the court and play to my strengths while helping me with my weaknesses. The list is based on the coaches who spoke with my dad the most. I will decide in February.”

USC and Eric Musselman took a big swing here. Not all big swings connect, but that’s just the reality of recruiting. You can’t score if you don’t shoot. USC won’t make all of its shots, but it must at least shoot for the stars, knowing it will fall short many times, as in this case with Dybantsa.

NIL was a selling point for AJ and his family and House of Victory and USC were thought to be a major factor in his recruitment, but at the end of the day it wasn’t enough to land the generational talent.

“It’s a factor, but it’s not the reason we are picking a school,” Ace Dybantsa told ESPN. “We left out schools that have a lot of money. A.J. will go where he feels he can have the most success on the court.”

AJ Dybantsa is the top recruit in the 2025 high school class, with many already projecting him as the No. 1 overall pick in the 2026 NBA draft. The five-star recruit has seen some lofty expectations placed on him, drawing a pro comparison with multi-time All-Star and top-three MVP finisher Paul George.

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LeBron James’ youngest son Bryce James is a top-100 USC target

There is a contentious, fierce debate surrounding Bryce James’ recruiting ranking.

USC target Bryce James is the son of NBA superstar and Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James. Bryce has been ranked in the top 100 recruits for the 2025 class.

In the latest On3 rankings, Bryce James is listed at No. 100 for the Class of 2025. While there is a lot of potential for Bryce, his latest performance at the Peach Jam left fans wanting more.

He is currently a consensus three-star prospect in the 2025 class rated No. 150 nationally by Rivals and No. 181 by 247Sports.

“Bryce James is not a Top 100 player right now,” Jeff Goodman said.

“Bryce James being a top-100 recruit is significantly worse than anything Bronny-related over the last two years,” college basketball analyst Kevin Sweeney wrote.

The younger brother of Bronny James has offers from the Ohio State Buckeyes, USC Trojans and Duquesne.

Do you think On3’s ranking for Bryce is too high, too low, or just right?

Will Eric Mussleman and USC land another James family recruit after Andy Enfield landed Bronny James? We will see.

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USC makes the cut for four-star quarterback Helaman Casuga

Helaman Casuga adds intrigue to USC’s quarterback recruiting plans.

Earlier this week, four-star quarterback Helaman Casuga released his top eight schools. The USC Trojans made the cut alongside Arizona, Auburn, BYU, Nebraska, Texas A&M, Utah, and Washington.

As a sophomore Casuga led Timpview High School to a Utah state championship. He threw for 4,135 yards and ran for 389 yards, totaling 34 touchdowns.

The four-star quarterback has recently transferred to Utah powerhouse Corner Canyon (Utah) to replace Gatorade State Player of The Year and Utah Utes signal caller Isaac Wilson brother of Denver Broncos QB Zach Wilson who also played at Corner Canyon.

Casuga is listed as a four-star prospect by the 247Sports index and the nation’s 178th-ranked player. He also checks in as the 13th-ranked player at his position and the fourth-ranked player in the state of Utah.

With his junior season kicking off on Friday, Aug. 16, Casuaga’s timeline remains uncertain. Regardless, his cutdown list is a great sign for each team included.

It’ll be interesting to see how the quarterback domino effect falls with Julian Lewis, a 2025 commit after reclassifying, and 2026 five-star QB Ryder Lyons predicted to land with the Trojans. USC could have a loaded quarterback room by the fall of 2026.

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USC makes 2026 four-star linebacker a top priority

USC tries to keep an in-state linebacker home.

2026 Orange (Calif.) Lutheran linebacker Talanoa Ili was offered by the USC Trojans back in December of 2022 as a freshman. With USC football in the hunt for the four-star prospect, Ili is entering his junior season in high school as one of the best linebackers in the nation.

Along with the USC Trojans, the 6-3, 200-pound linebacker has received offers from Cal, Notre Dame, Ohio State, Texas, Florida, Miami, Penn State, Texas A&M, Oregon, Tennessee, Washington, Nebraska, Auburn, Utah, Michigan State, UCLA, Arizona State, Stanford, Kansas and Arizona.

Ili is a big-time athlete who can do a lot for a prospective defense. He is well thought of as a recruit, currently ranked as the No. 53 overall player and a four-star prospect in the 2026 recruiting class according to Rivals.

In 10 games in his sophomore, Ili was a true playmaker for Orange Lutheran on defense. He finished last season with 51 total tackles, 15 tackles for loss, and four sacks. He also forced two fumbles.

Here is a breakdown of Ili’s athletic profile from 247Sports.com national recruiting analyst Greg Biggins:

“Probably best all around linebacker in state right now, regardless of class. Long, athletic 6-3, 215 pound frame and still growing. Can rush off the edge, play in space and drop and cover. Twitchy kid who plays fast but under control. Has looked really good at a pair of off-season events- 7v7 tourney and LB Showcase. Productive and earned 1st team all-league honors after both freshman and sophomore seasons in highly competitive Trinity League. Very active with non-stop motor.

“High football IQ, can quickly read, diagnose and go. Could grow in to an edge rusher down the road but has the athleticism to stay at linebacker and can play inside or outside. A complete, every down linebacker with a very high ceiling.”

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