USC’s push to rebuild its recruiting footprint in Southern California is already reaching into the 2028 class, and Mission Viejo cornerback Jordan Hicks is right in the middle of it.
The four-star defensive back has trimmed his list to eight schools, and USC is among them. Hicks told 247Sports recruiting insider Collin Kennedy that the Trojans have stayed in close contact and made him feel at home.
"USC is a school I've visited a lot, I'd say," Hicks said to Kennedy. "They're another hometown team that's made sure I've felt welcomed there."
That local connection matters, especially with Hicks coming out of Mission Viejo and USC leaning hard into nearby talent again after putting together the top 2026 recruiting class. Hicks said he’s also looking forward to USC’s home slate this fall, which includes Big Ten matchups with Oregon on Sept. 26 and Ohio State on Halloween night, Oct. 31.
USC is one of eight schools still in the hunt. The full group includes Alabama, Miami, Oklahoma, Ole Miss, Oregon, Texas A&M and UCLA.
For the Trojans, Hicks represents more than just another target. USC is trying to make up ground after missing on another major Mission Viejo prospect, Dijon Lee, two cycles ago. Lee, a 6-4 cornerback with elite coverage skills, wound up committing to Alabama in June 2024 and never wavered from that pledge.
USC had been involved early with Lee, offering him officially in February 2022, and he visited campus often, according to USC insider for On3 Scott Schrader. But the Trojans’ previous staff, led by former interim head coach Donte Williams, was the group that first built the relationship. Alabama ultimately proved to be the more aggressive recruiter.
Now USC has another shot at Mission Viejo High, and the Trojans are trying to turn that into a broader Orange County pipeline. They’ve already re-established a Trinity League presence, and Hicks could help extend that reach to Mission Viejo if he ends up choosing USC.
There’s also a bigger picture forming in the 2028 defensive back group. Hicks could link up with two other Orange County four-star corners: Ca'Ron Williams from Rancho Santa Margarita Catholic and Chauncey Washington II from Orange Lutheran. If USC can land that trio, it would be another sign of how aggressively the Trojans are building from their own backyard outward.
But first, they have to win the race. Alabama is back in the mix and could land another Diablos standout after Lee.
Miami is also a serious contender after flipping five-star cornerback Donte Wright from Georgia. Oregon and UCLA are among the other schools USC has to beat for Hicks.
For USC, the path to a strong 2028 class could start with keeping the pressure on Hicks and turning that local familiarity into a commitment.
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Ronnie Lott Still Sets The Standard For USC Greatness
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Lotts legacy only deepened after USC, where the 49ers took him eighth overall in 1981 and watched him build a pro career that spanned ten seasons in San Francisco before stops with the Los Angeles Raiders and New York Jets. The hardware followed at every level, from Pro Bowls and All-Pro recognition to four Super Bowl titles and a place in the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2000, which is part of why his name still carries so much weight around the program. Even now, the conversation around USC greatness tends to circle back to the same question: who, if anyone, can really match the standard he set? [Read more 🡒]