USC and Notre Dame may not be meeting on the field anytime soon, but the fight between the two programs is already alive on the recruiting trail.
Notre Dame made the louder splash in June. The Fighting Irish landed two five-stars in edge rusher Abraham Sesay and interior offensive lineman Albert Simien, giving Marcus Freeman’s program a major boost in the 2027 class. Sesay is ranked as the No. 20 player in the country and the No. 3 edge rusher, while Simien checks in at No. 19 nationally and No. 2 among interior offensive linemen.
Those additions helped Notre Dame climb to No. 2 in the country in the 2027 rankings, sitting just behind Texas A&M. The Irish are clearly building with both the present and the future in mind, and Freeman’s track record has given that push real weight. He is 43-12 overall at Notre Dame, has gone 2-1 in bowl games, and led the Irish on a 2024 national championship run that included wins over Indiana, Georgia and Penn State before a loss to Ohio State.
Last season, Notre Dame finished 10-2 and narrowly missed the College Football Playoff, then chose not to play in a bowl game. That leaves Freeman’s team with plenty of motivation heading into 2026.
The Irish’s 34-24 win over USC at home last season is the latest on-field note in a rivalry that won’t be played for at least the next few seasons. For now, any meeting between the programs would have to come in the postseason. Until then, the more immediate clash is happening with recruiting rankings, where both sides are trying to build rosters that can stay strong over time.
USC has not sat still. Lincoln Riley’s Trojans hold the No. 1 class for 2026 and sit at No. 10 for 2027.
In that 2026 group, USC brought in two five-stars of its own: defensive end Luke Wafle and tight end Mark Bowman. Both are expected to have chances to work into rotational roles next season and could become major pieces for the program down the line.
The Trojans also landed two five-stars in the 2027 class, with cornerback Honor Fa’alave Johnson and edge rusher Mekai Brown joining the fold. Both are projected to be key contributors when they arrive in 2027, and they could help USC keep climbing before that class is finalized.
There is also a practical reason USC may not need to stack the 2027 class the way some programs do. The Trojans already have 35 commits in the 2026 class, and Riley has leaned on the transfer portal to address roster needs as well. That could leave USC adding only a few more players for 2027, while relying on development from the current class and future portal moves to keep the roster strong in the Big Ten.
One name to watch is quarterback Jonas Williams. With Jayden Maiava expected to declare for the 2027 NFL Draft, this season looms as an important one for the four-star quarterback USC signed in the 2026 class. If Williams becomes the answer at quarterback, the Trojans could be set up to keep contending in the Big Ten and stay in the mix as a national force.
In Other News...
Chasen Johnson Just Gave USC Fans Real Hope At Corner
Chasen Johnsons road back has been one of the quieter but more encouraging storylines around USCs secondary this offseason. The redshirt sophomore cornerback, who spent much of last season working his way through a knee injury and surgery, has been getting steady support from position coach Trovon Reed while posting recovery clips that suggest the rehab is moving in the right direction. With fall camp approaching, that matters in a cornerback room where starting jobs are still very much up for grabs and Lincoln Riley has already pointed to improvement from other defenders such as Marcelles Williams.
Johnsons latest update gave Trojans fans a little extra reason to believe he can still factor into that competition. In the clip, he was moving heavy weight in the gym and doing it without a brace on the injured knee, a small but meaningful sign for a player whose trajectory was interrupted just as he was looking to push for a bigger role in the USC secondary. The real test, of course, will come once the pads come on and the competition turns from rehab progress videos to live reps. [Read more 🡒]
Eric Musselman Just Framed USCs Biggest Rebuild Gamble
Eric Musselman is making it clear that USCs rebuild is going to be built the hard way, with a little of everything. In a college basketball era defined by constant player movement, he said the Trojans have to keep key returners, bring in high-upside freshmen and still stay active in the transfer portal if they want to keep pace. Its the sort of balancing act that has become unavoidable, but for USC it also doubles as the blueprint for how quickly this next roster can turn into something real.
The good news for the Trojans is that there is a foundation to work with, anchored by a core group from last season and a highly regarded incoming class. Christian Collins gives USC a five-star headliner, and the Ratliff twins add more talent to a class that already has people around the program thinking big. Musselmans challenge now is less about explaining the plan and more about making sure the mix of retention and additions actually holds together once the season starts. [Read more 🡒]