USC’s offseason buzz around freshman cornerback Elbert “Rock” Hill didn’t start with a beach workout in Hermosa Beach, and it won’t end there either.
The sand drills on Wednesday morning may have caught the eye, but they mostly served as another reminder of what Hill has already shown since he got to campus in January. The Ohio native has been turning heads from the moment he arrived, and the praise has only grown louder as USC moves toward fall camp.
Cornerbacks coach Trovon Reed made a major early move in his first offseason with the Trojans by pulling Hill west. That was no small win.
Hill was wanted by nearly every top program in the country, and his high school résumé explains why. At Archbishop Hoban in Ohio, he picked off nine passes as a senior and finished his prep career with 24 interceptions.
He also starred on both sides of the ball and was a dangerous return man. ESPN had him just shy of five-star status, but still ranked him as the No. 1 cornerback in the 2026 class.
The early returns at USC have matched the billing. Hill drew strong reviews during winter workouts, and once spring practice opened, it became clear he was different. His technique stood out immediately - polished, quick, smooth, and the kind of work that can be used as teach tape.
Reed went even further in spring meetings, saying he believed Hill would have been the most impressive player at the NFL combine because of that technical polish and because he is only 18 years old. For a player with elite athletic ability, that kind of refinement at this age is rare.
Lincoln Riley and several veterans were also impressed this spring, and the excitement around Hill is only building as fall camp approaches. Cornerback is shaping up as one of the most interesting battles on the roster, but Hill looks like a player who will make it hard to keep him off the field as a freshman.
He’ll have plenty of competition. Jontez Williams arrived from Iowa State as the most experienced corner in the room and the one with the most ball production.
Marcelles Williams, a blue-chip 2024 recruit, started 11 games last season after playing only nine snaps as a true freshman and is trending upward entering his redshirt sophomore year. RJ Sermons, who starred at Rancho Cucamonga before reclassifying from the 2026 to the 2025 class last summer, brings size and speed.
Chasen Johnson is back after a knee injury limited him to two games last season and kept him out for most of fall camp; he also started four games as a true freshman for Reed at UCF.
USC also added Carrington Pierce from Oklahoma State, joining his older brother, safety Christian Pierce, in the secondary. Brandon Lockhart and Jayden Crowder, both local standouts from the 2026 class, are in the mix as well.
With that many options, this is not the kind of competition that figures to be settled quickly in fall camp. The Trojans may need their first three games against Group of Five opponents to figure out what the cornerback picture looks like before Big Ten play begins.
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