USC holds early lead for No. 1 class in 2026
The recruiting world is still in the midst of the 2024 cycle, but some have moved their primary focus to 2025. For USC though, while they are working to finish out 2024 and are working on 2025, where they are finding their most success at the current time is in the class of 2026.
While it is very early in the process, the Trojans landed their third commitment in the 2026 class on Sunday evening in Los Angeles (Cal.) Loyola cornerback Brandon Lockhart.
With his commitment, the Trojans officially have the No. 1 ranked class in the 2026 cycle, according to the On3 Industry Team Recruiting Rankings.
The headliner of the group is obviously Carrollton (Ga.) five-star quarterback Julian ‘JuJu’ Lewis.
Lewis ranks as the No. 1 player in the On3 Industry Ranking, a weighted average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies. He is also tabbed in as the No. 1 quarterback and the No. 1 player in the state of Georgia in the 2026 class.
Lockhart’s recent commitment made him the second commit in the class that is ranked as the No. 1 prospect at their position. Lockhart is the No. 1 cornerback as well as being ranked the No. 11 overall prospect.
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Both Lewis and Lockhart would be five-star prospects if the On3 rankings reflected them this early in the recruiting process.
The third USC commitment in the class is Los Alamitos (Cal.) wide receiver Ja’Myron ‘Tron’ Baker.
At the current time, Baker is unranked in the industry rankings. However, he holds an individual ranking by one of the major recruiting services, being tabbed as the No. 79 overall prospect.
The other USC classes
At the current time, the Trojans have the No. 18 ranked recruiting class in the 2024 cycle.
As of October 29, the 16 2024 USC verbal commits include, TE Walter Matthews, WR Ryan Pellum, OLB Elijah Newby, WR Xavier Jordan, EDGE Kameryn Fountain, TE Joey Olsen, Safety Jarvis Boatwright Jr., OL Makai Saina, Safety Marquis Gallegos, RB Bryan Jackson, OT Hayden Treter, CB Marcelles Williams, CB Braylon Conley, DLDeyvid Palepale, CB Isaiah Rubin and OL Jason Zandamela.
The Trojans 2025 class has not yet gained a commitment. With the 2026 class picking up steam already, there is a chance the Trojans can sell recruits on the future success and development in the program and start to add some names to the 2025 class.
