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USC lands commitment from productive 2026 linebacker Taylor Johnson

Erik-McKinneyby:Erik McKinney•05/12/25•

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Taylor Johnson
(@TaylorJohnson_J on X)

The USC Trojans landed another linebacker commit in their 2026 class as ultra-productive defender Taylor Johnson announced his pledge on Monday afternoon.

The 6-foot-2, 205-pound junior picked up a scholarship offer from USC and linebacker coach Rob Ryan last week and didn’t waste much time in committing. Johnson had put together a nice recruiting run in the early part of this year, picking up offers from Arizona, UNLV, Cal, San Diego State, Fresno State, Washington State, West Virginia, New Mexico, San Jose State and Oregon State between January and March.

Johnson had a crazy productive junior season for Cajon, finishing with 174 total tackles, including nine tackles for loss. Of those 174 stops, 82 were solo tackles. He also finished with four sacks, three pass deflections, a forced fumble and fumble recovery. That backs up a sophomore season that saw Johnson finish with 70 tackles, including 10 for loss and three sacks.

Johnson doesn’t have overwhelming size at the middle linebacker spot right now, but plenty of frame to add to it. What he does already show is tremendous pursuit from inside out and he will consistently deliver punishing hits when he arrives at the ball.

This is USC’s second linebacker commit in as many days. Four-star Mater Dei High School standout Shaun Scott announced his commitment to the Trojans on Sunday.

Johnson is commitment No. 28 for the Trojans in their 2026 recruiting class as USC continues to hammer the trail and cement its class early in the cycle. He’s also the 10th commitment for the Trojans in the defensive front seven. The defensive line features interior prospects Jaimeon Winfield, TomTom Topui, Braeden Jones, Jake Johnson and Malik Brooks. There are edge players in Simote Katoanga and Andrew Williams, and an elite defender in five-star Xavier Griffin who could play linebacker or edge.

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Garry Paskwietz was a pioneer in bringing team-specific sports coverage to the internet. He founded WeAreSC in 1998 and was an Emmy winner for his work with Fox Sports West. Always generous with his time, knowledge, and compassion, he touched the lives of countless USC and high school football fans.

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