USC’s recruiting pipeline has stayed as loud as ever, and the Trojans are sitting on the No. 1 2026 class, according to 247Sports. That latest haul adds another chapter to a run that has kept Lincoln Riley’s program stocked with high-end talent since he arrived in Los Angeles.
Looking back at each USC class since 2020, the headliners tell a pretty clear story: some became key contributors in cardinal and gold, some moved on, and a few left behind just enough production to show why they were so coveted in the first place.
The most recent name on the list is former five-star quarterback Husan Longstreet, the top player in USC’s 2025 class. Longstreet spent the entire 2025 season backing up Jayden Maiava before transferring to LSU.
His time with the Trojans was brief, but he flashed in the four games he played, finishing with 103 passing yards and a touchdown along with 76 rushing yards and two scores. Most of that came in USC’s 73-13 season-opening win over Missouri State, when he threw for 69 yards and a touchdown and added 54 yards and two rushing touchdowns.
USC’s 2024 class was led by defensive end Kameryn Crawford, with interior offensive lineman Jason Zandamela also at the top of that group before he transferred to Florida. Crawford has become one of the youngest standouts on the Trojans’ defense. Over two seasons at defensive end, he posted 60 total tackles and 7.5 sacks, and he heads into USC’s 2026 season positioned to play a major role.
The 2023 class belonged to Zachariah Branch, a five-star wide receiver who later transferred to Georgia. Before that move, Branch spent two seasons at USC and totaled 823 yards and three touchdowns for the Trojans. His path since then has taken him all the way to the NFL, where he was selected No. 79 overall in the third round of the 2026 NFL Draft by the Atlanta Falcons after becoming one of Georgia’s leading receivers.
Domani Jackson was the top name in Riley’s second USC class in 2022. The five-star cornerback stayed with the Trojans for two seasons and recorded 34 total tackles before transferring to Alabama. After two more seasons with the Crimson Tide, Jackson was picked by the Green Bay Packers with the No. 201 overall selection in the sixth round of the 2026 NFL Draft.
Korey Foreman headlined Riley’s first recruiting class at USC in 2021. The five-star linebacker spent three seasons with the Trojans before transferring to Fresno State for the 2024 season. During his time at USC, he finished with 25 tackles and 2.5 sacks.
The top player from USC’s 2020 class was Gary Bryant Jr., a four-star wide receiver out of Corona Centennial. Before becoming a standout for Oregon and Dan Lanning, Bryant Jr. played three seasons for the Trojans from 2020 through 2022 and put up 53 catches for 645 yards and seven touchdowns.
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The stakes are obvious because the Trojans do not need just talent, they need reliability. Maiavas decision-making will shape how often USC can turn drives into points instead of mistakes, Paiges availability will affect how stable the protection looks, and Stewarts versatility gives the defense a chance to keep him on the field in different spots. If those three trends move the right way, USC has a real chance to stay in the race it wants to be in. [Read more 🡒]
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The secondary is especially eye-catching, with multiple top-100 defensive backs already aboard, while the defensive line has added another promising piece in Alifeleti Tuihalamaka. Add in legacy recruit Isaia Vandermade and a handful of linebackers from strong programs, and USC has put together a class that may not be overwhelming in volume, but is starting to look like one built to answer a familiar Trojans fear. [Read more 🡒]
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One of the more intriguing prospects in that mix is a Honolulu linebacker who already has offers from USC, Oregon, Penn State and Texas. There is also a family angle worth watching, since his older brother signed with California in the 2026 class, which only adds another layer to a recruitment that should stay active as more programs keep coming through Hawaii. [Read more 🡒]