Bookie Radley-Hiles has Benefited USC's Recruiting Success with Top Local Defensive Backs

It’s been challenging recruiting locally for USC since before Lincoln Riley arrived, but it appears there’s an opening now for the Trojans to lure top prospects from southern California.

Although USC has recruited top players from the L.A. area every year, many of them have chosen to head out of state to places like Alabama, Georgia, Oregon, Ohio State, Texas A&M, Texas, Michigan and other schools east of the Rocky Mountains.

We should add the crop of players for 2026 and 2027 is stronger than it’s been the last few years. The 2026 recruiting cycle and the following two years will likely see more players ranked among the On3 Industry Rankings Top 300 than in 2023, 2024 and 2025.

Defensive backs coach Doug Belk has done an outstanding job since he’s arrived at USC, making sure the top local prospects feel like priorities. Belk has put in the work necessary to keep the top lock kids home

Prioritizing SoCal

As mentioned above, Belk has done an outstanding job making sure the top prospects in southern California feel like priorities. If they hadn’t been contacted, he took care of that. If the Trojans hadn’t offered, he offered. If they hadn’t been frequent visitors at USC, he got them on campus for crucial one-on-one time. 

Belk has put in the work necessary to keep the top local kids home, and USC has played well enough at home this season when recruits were at the Coliseum watching. Despite a 7-6 record, what recruits have experienced on game days has been a big boost for Riley and the Trojans. 

At the top of Belk’s defensive back priority list were commits Brandon Lockhart, Madden Riordan, RJ Sermons and Joshua Holland, plus Davon Benjamin and Brandon Arrington.

Coach Bookie (Radley-Hiles)

While Belk has obviously done an exceptional job recruiting for USC, it’s been an impressive team effort with defensive back recruiting. Belk will ultimately be coaching the guys and he’s considered one of the best in the business, but Bookie Radley-Hiles has aided significantly in the recruiting effort for the Trojans.

Bookie may not be listed as a position coach much like Taylor Mays, he works with Nickel backs in practices. Mays works with the safeties.

He spent the 2018-2020 seasons at Oklahoma, where he played for current USC head coach Lincoln Riley and was hired as a graduate assistant in January of 2023 and earned his USC graduate degree last spring. We’ve been told by several USC coaches they expect Radley-Hiles to become a star in the coaching profession in the near future.

Bookie Radley-Hiles is a Big Part of the Defensive Backs Room at #USC❕✌🏼📈

📷 @On3USC #FightOn pic.twitter.com/ZoBRrNZpwe

— Scott Schrader (@SSchraderOn3) September 28, 2024

USC recruits share thoughts on Bookie’s impact

On Saturday we reached out to Trestin Castro, Alex Graham, Brandon Lockhart, RJ Sermons, Madden Riordan, Joshua Holland and Davon Benjamin….and Brandon Arington Sunday morning. We asked each abut their relationship with Bookie and how he impacted their recruitment for USC.

We’ve already received feedback from Castro, Lockhart, Riordan, Sermons and Holland. We expect to hear from Arrington at some point today. Although USC feels it’s in a pretty solid spot with Benjamin, he doesn’t talk much about the recruiting process.

Graham may not be a southern California kid, but we do know Bookie played a role in his recruitment. In this current age of NIL and the Transfer Portal, relationships still do matter a lot.

USC currently has the No. 2 ranked 2026 recruiting class.

Trestin Castro – Upland HS

“Yeah man, Bookie is just one of those guys you kind of gravitate to, because he has a presence about him. He has always made sure he stopped and said hello during this process and checks in frequently. On my very first unofficial visit my junior year, I sat in a DB meeting and he handed me a notebook with no instructions and I just took notes, not knowing what to expect. When the meeting was over, he took the notebook looked it over and said he was impressed with how detailed my notes were. That was my very first encounter with him.

“He always has some great motivational talks with me about SC and choosing my own path for me. I feel like he is someone I can go to talk about more than football….but life as well. He’s experienced all this before and knowledge is power. I’m going to learn a great deal from him.”

RJ Sermons – Rancho Cucamonga HS (No. 13 Overall)

“Me and Coach Bookie have a good relationship and he definitely had a solid impact on my recruitment at USC. He is a young coach who knows the game very well and is relatable. His mindset and the message he relays is great. One of my first couple visits to USC, I talked to him for a good minute and he explained to me how USC is truly different from any other school.”

Brandon Lockhart – Loyola HS (No. 57 Overall)

“Coach Bookie is my GUY, and he’s definitely part of the reason I’ve stayed committed to USC. He’s the only coach I know that wears cleats to practice and runs around like he does. His energy and enthusiasm when he’s on the field with his players is unmatched. I also think his youth helps keep his finger on the pulse of what younger athletes might be going through….. and his age (being a younger coach) allows that.

“My dad’s known him, so when he linked up with him at USC and I got introduced to him, it was like family…. And he told my dad right then that he had me. That’s meant a lot this whole time and we’ve stayed in communication on a regular since then. Happy Cake Day Coach!!!!!”

Madden Riordan – Sierra Canyon HS

“Definitely Bookie has been a huge part of my recruitment. He’s just an energetic young coach. Very comfortable with the recruits and just someone you can connect with being close to in age.”

Joshua Holland – St. John Bosco

“Coach Bookie is a really great dude. I’ve been following his journey from when I was 9/10 years old watching him truly being one of the best athletes and taking bits and pieces from his game. But he definitely has a big impact on me committing to USC because he knows how the system works and what you have to do to get to a certain level. And on another note, he’s still a young coach where if you need to get some extra work on, he can still put the cleats on which is impressive.”