USC Recruiting Roundup with Scott Schrader & Dylan Brashier (6/9)

Each week me and our impressive intern from USC’s Anneneberg School of Communications hop on Zoom. At that time we recap some of the interesting USC storylines of the week for our YouTube audience. Our primary focus is on recruiting, but we’ll also touch on other topics each week.

The topics Dylan and I touched on this past week were as follows:

Recapping USC’s five big commitments

There have been five commitments for USC in the past two days coming off the Trojans’ first big June visit weekend.

Modesto (Calif.) Central Catholic four-star offensive tackle Manesse Itete, Atlanta (Ga.) Washington four-star EDGE Kameryn Fountain, Gardena (Calif.) Junipero Serra four-star cornerback Dakoda Fields, Clearwater (Fla.) four-star safety Jarvis Boatwright Jr., and Englewood (CO) Cherry Creek three-star offensive lineman Hayden Treter have all pledged to the Trojans in the past two days.

When picking up commitments, one of the first thoughts and reactions is to check the rankings to see where the class is sitting. 

With eight commitments in the fold, USC is currently ranked No. 14 in the 2024 Team Recruiting Rankings. The current class is sitting at a class score of 90.782.

However, USC is sitting at No. 8 in the country in average prospect rating. The Trojans have an average commit rating of 90.05.

More on the current class for US

To date, the eight commitments in the 2024 class are Gardena (Calif.) Junipero Serra four-star cornerback Dakoda Fields, Los Angeles (Cal.) Sierra Canyon four-star Xavier Jordan, Atlanta (Ga.) Washington four-star EDGE Kameryn Fountain, Lake Oswego (Ore.) Lakeridge four-star tight end Joey Olsen, Modesto (Calif.) Central Catholic four-star offensive tackle Manesse Itete, Clearwater (Fla.) four-star safety Jarvis Boatwright Jr., McKinney (Tex.) three-star running back Bryan Jackson, and Englewood (CO) Cherry Creek three-star offensive lineman Hayden Treter.

Two huge visitors set to officially visit USC June 9-11

Although the number of official visitors this weekend pales in comparison to the last, the two who are visiting are exceptionally huge targets. 4-Star St. John Bosco LB Kyngstonn Viliamu-Asa and 4-Star Safety teammate Peyton Woodyard arrive Friday for their 48 hour visit. 

The USC visit will be the first of three officials for Viliamu-Asa and his family. While these visits are entertaining, they’re mostly considered business trips for Viliamu-Asa. After USC he’ll visit Notre Dame June 16-18 and Ohio St. June 23-25. 

Why USC for Kyngstonn?

With USC being less than 30 minutes from Bosco, Viliamu-Asa has naturally visited USC more than any other school. There are visits we haven’t even accounted for at On3, because Viliamu-Asa’s fairly stealthy with what he does with recruiting. 

The end result of countless visits to USC, are the relationships he has there are extremely tight. In the end, no matter where things currently stand, that will likely be a bigger factor than it appears now. USC vastly improving its defensive performance in 2023 will also be vital with several defensive targets. 

What a school offers Viliamu-Asa after football will also factor heavily into his decision.

“What’s important is location,” Viliamu-Asa. “I definitely want to the best of my ability to have property in southern California and I’m planning on majoring in business finance. Perhaps getting a minor in real estate.

“A USC degree, living in southern California….there’s nothing better than that. I went over there for an academic visit and it opened my eyes to the doors a USC degree opens up. That was my most impactful visit.”

Kyngstonn Viliamu-Asa

Clay Helton returns to the Coliseum in 2025

Clay Helton could be headed back to the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. USC announced Tuesday that the Trojans have added home games against Georgia Southern and Nevada to its future schedules.

The Trojans will host Georgia Southern of the Sun Belt Conference at the Coliseum on Sept. 6, 2025. USC will take on Nevada at the Coliseum on Sept. 11, 2027.

USC has never played Georgia Southern. The obvious connection now is that former head coach Clay Helton is leading the Eagles. Helton was hired by Georgia Southern in November of 2021, around two months after he was relieved of duties by USC. The Eagles went 6-7 in 2022, Helton’s first year as head coach. That featured a win at Nebraska and a win over then-No. 25 James Madison. It continues a run of featuring one significant away game a year for Georgia Southern. The Eagles will visit Wisconsin in 2023, Ole Miss in 2024, USC in 2025 and Clemson in 2026.

It will be the seventh time USC takes on Nevada. The Trojans are 5-0 against the Wolf Pack and the two programs will again on Sept. 2 this fall. The game this coming season marks the first time the two teams have played since the 1929 season. The Trojans won that matchup by a score of 66-0. Every game between the two programs, including the 2027 installment, will have been held at the Coliseum.

Intriguing Big Ten matchups for 2024 and 2025

The USC Trojans and their fans know what the first two years of their Big Ten conference schedule look like. Several big-time Big Ten programs are set to visit the Coliseum in the next two seasons.

Big Ten Scheduling

There are 11 protected rivalries that will take place every season. USC vs UCLA is one of those protected rivalries.

There will be nine conference games each year for every team.

The Big Ten has also done away with divisions, similar to what the Pac-12 did recently. The top two teams in the conference will face off in the Big Ten Football Championship Game.

The scheduling model guarantees that every Big Ten team will play every other Big Ten team at least once every two years. But there will also be some teams on the schedule in back-to-back seasons. For USC in 2024 and 2025, the Trojans will take on both Penn State and Wisconsin both years.

USC’s 2024 Schedule

Sept. 1 vs LSU

The Trojans will meet the Tigers at Allegiant Stadium for a Sunday kickoff in the Vegas Kickoff Classic. USC and LSU have met just twice previously. LSU picked up a 23-3 win in Los Angeles in 1984. USC won 17-12 in Baton Rouge on its way to an undefeated season in 1979.