USC Trojans trending for 4-star CB Zabien Brown

Santa Ana (Calif.) Mater Dei four-star cornerback Zabien Brown announced a top four of Alabama, Ohio State, Oregon and USC on March 12. According to the On3 Recruiting Prediction Machine, the Trojans have a commanding lead for his commitment.

USC’s chance to land the 5-foot-11, 175-pound recruit is currently at 87.9%. The Trojans’ odds rose greatly following an expert prediction from Justin Hopkins of Scoop Duck.

“The feeling around Brown’s recruitment has been he would likely stay out West for his college ball,” Hopkins said. “Between him eliminating Oregon from consideration and the Trojans’ hot streak of late, I like where USC sits for the four-star from Mater Dei.”

Brown is the No. 56 overall prospect and No. 7 cornerback in the 2024 cycle, according to the On3 Industry Ranking, a weighted average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies. He is also the No. 4 player in California.

USC hosted Brown for an official visit on June 2. He is scheduled to take two more officials to Ohio State (June 16) and Alabama (June 23).

“I just see (Lincoln Riley) changing the culture overall,” Brown told On3’s Chad Simmons on March 12. “Everybody that’s there wants to be there, it seems like, and be there for one purpose… They’ve also got a lot of guys up there that I either guarded, was on the same team with or played against. I think that does play a big role too.”

For more USC recruiting intel, check out WeAreSC.

Landing Brown would continue USC’s recruiting momentum

The Trojans’ 2024 recruiting class currently ranks No. 14 in the 2024 On3 Industry Team Recruiting Rankings and No. 4 in the Big Ten. USC’s group is led by Gardena (Calif.) Junipero Serra four-star cornerback Dakoda Fields.

Riley and Co. have been very successful on the recruiting trail recently, landing five total commitments on June 4 and 5. They included Fields, Atlanta (Ga.) Washington four-star EDGE Kameryn Fountain, Modesto (Calif.) Central Catholic four-star offensive tackle Manasse Itete, Clearwater (Fla.) three-star safety Jarvis Boatwright Jr. and Engelwood (Colo.) Cherry Creek three-star interior offensive lineman Hayden Treter. 

Los Angeles (Calif.) Sierra Canyon four-star wide receiver Xavier Jordan, Lake Oswego (Ore.) Lakeridge four-star tight end Joey Olsen and McKinney (Texas) three-star running back Bryan Jackson are also pledged to USC.

“Just the people there, it’s a great environment and I already feel really comfortable going over there,” Brown told Scott Schrader of WeAreSC. “That’s also a big transition to the next level, being comfortable. It’s different at USC now. The coaches they have are great guys and there’s nowhere else like SoCal weather wise. So, there are a lot of positives coming together with USC.”