USC has the verbal commitment, but Oregon is still swinging for four-star cornerback Danny Lang.
That’s the read from Rivals national recruiting analyst Adam Gorney, who said Lang and a source close to him indicated the Ducks have not let up in their pursuit after Lang pledged to the Trojans. And if Oregon is looking for a blueprint, it already has one: cornerback Na'eem Offord, the consensus No. 1 recruit out of Alabama and one of the top overall prospects in the country, flipped from Ohio State to Oregon during his high school commitment ceremony in the class of 2025.
Lang, a 5-foot-11, 160-pound defensive back, is ranked as the No. 10 cornerback in the nation by the Rivals Industry Rankings. He put together a strong junior season at Mater Dei in 2025, finishing with 31 total tackles, one tackle for loss, one fumble recovery and 10 passes defended.
For a while, Oregon looked like the team to beat. The Ducks had built solid ties with Lang and entered the spring as the presumed frontrunner. USC then changed the shape of the recruitment with a late surge that kept pushing to get him on campus, giving him repeated chances to see spring practice, meet the staff and spend time around the program.
The Trojans’ pitch landed in a few key areas. Lang formed a strong connection with cornerbacks coach Trovon Reed, who stayed in constant contact and made him feel like a priority. He also spent time with new defensive coordinator Gary Patterson, who broke down USC’s defensive scheme and how it could help him make plays on the football.
Staying close to home mattered too. That gives Lang’s family an easier path to attend games, and in the end USC’s late recruiting blitz was enough to keep one of California’s top defensive backs in state.
Still, Oregon is nowhere near done. Dan Lanning and his staff have made a habit of chasing committed prospects all the way to National Signing Day, and there are reasons the Ducks believe they can keep this one alive.
They were once viewed as the favorite, so the relationship base is already there. This isn’t a cold start; it’s a continuation.
The on-field sales pitch is strong as well. Oregon has reached back-to-back College Football Playoffs and continues to build a reputation as one of the sport’s premier defensive programs. If the Ducks keep stacking wins and USC doesn’t get to the Playoff, that could matter a lot over the next year.
Development is part of the appeal, too. Under Lanning, Oregon has consistently turned out NFL-caliber defensive backs, and recent examples like Jadon Canady, along with the emergence of Brandon Finney Jr., give recruits concrete proof of what can happen in Eugene. That track record still carries weight.
And then there’s time. Lang originally wanted to take his recruitment slowly, but USC got him to commit sooner than expected. With more than a year left before he signs, there should be plenty of chances for more visits, including possible game-day trips to Eugene.
USC has the commitment for now, but Oregon’s continued pressure makes it clear the Ducks are not backing off. In a recruiting world where pledges can change fast, this one is far from finished.
In Other News...
USCs Top Freshman Is Already Getting The Welcome Fans Wanted
Luke Wafle is already getting a taste of what comes with being USCs highest-profile freshman, and it is happening well before he takes a snap in cardinal and gold. The five-star defensive end, the No. 1 overall recruit in the 2026 class, took part in the Sack Summit event hosted by NFL players, where he crossed paths with former Trojan linebacker Willie McGinest and got another reminder of the standard that comes with wearing the USC name.
McGinest also had reason to talk up the programs momentum, from the new Bloom Football Performance Center to the recruiting haul that gave USC its largest class in program history. Wafle and McGinest even touched on the Trojans 2026 slate, which already looks like a demanding one, and that is part of what makes this early welcome so notable: USC is trying to build something big, and its top freshman is stepping into it with plenty of attention already following him. [Read more 🡒]
Lincoln Riley's New Ranking Will Sting USC Fans
USA TODAY Sports latest look at the college football coaching landscape landed with a familiar jolt for USC fans: Lincoln Riley, once viewed as one of the sports elite offensive minds, was not treated like an elite coach in the 2026 rankings. The list put Indianas Curt Cignetti at No. 1 after his rapid rise, while Ohio States Ryan Day checked in at No. 3 and Oregons Dan Lanning landed at No. 5, a reminder of how quickly the sports hierarchy can shift.
For USC, Rileys placement is the part that stings. He arrived in Los Angeles with the kind of reputation that usually keeps a coach near the top of these exercises, but this ranking suggests the national perception has changed after his uneven run with the Trojans. The bigger question now is whether USC can change that conversation on the field, because in a sport this competitive, reputation only travels so far before the next season starts rewriting it. [Read more 🡒]
USC Just Lost Another Key Piece Of Its Baseball Turnaround
USCs baseball rebuild has already been moving at full speed, with a roster churn that includes 16 players entering the transfer portal and 10 new transfers committed. The program is also looking ahead to the long-awaited upgrade at Dedeaux Field, with full access to the new facilities not arriving until the 2027 season, so the Trojans are trying to keep momentum in the present while waiting on the future.
Now there is another layer of uncertainty around the turnaround. Hitting coach and recruiting coordinator Travis Jewett is departing after helping shape the offense and the talent pipeline, and head coach Andy Stankiewicz is still under contract through 2030 as he tries to steady a program that has been changing almost as quickly as it has been improving. With the staff continuing to shift and the roster still being remade, USCs next step feels just as important as the progress it has already made. [Read more 🡒]