USC’s 2028 recruiting board is starting to take shape, and the Trojans are right in the middle of the biggest local battle.
Orange Lutheran (Calif.) five-star offensive tackle Austin Attalah trimmed his list to USC, Texas and Texas Tech on Monday, announcing the move on X. The 6-foot-7, 290-pound lineman had already cut things down to eight schools in early June, so this latest round of trimming shows the process is moving quickly before his junior season.
Attalah sits at No. 27 overall in the 247Sports Composite Rankings, while also checking in as the No. 3 offensive tackle and the top-ranked player in California. He does not have a commitment date set.
USC got into the mix in early March, when Attalah earned an offer during a visit to spring practice. He has been back at least once in the spring and again over the summer, and the Trojans have treated him like a priority from the jump. Texas does give him family ties, but USC has the advantage of being close enough for frequent visits in either direction, which keeps the local pitch strong.
That means general manager Chad Bowden, offensive line coach Zach Hanson and the rest of the staff will keep pressing to keep Attalah home.
The Trojans have also made an early move at quarterback in the class, extending their first 2028 offer to Frisco (Texas) Lone Star three-star Trey Wright. That tells you exactly where USC stands on him: he’s the guy. Wright’s 2025 season was huge, as he piled up a nation-leading 5,826 total yards and helped his team reach the Class 5A UIL state championship game.
He brings a true dual-threat profile, throwing for 4,062 yards and 43 touchdowns while adding 1,798 rushing yards and 16 more scores. At 5-foot-11 and 180 pounds, Wright has been compared in style to Kyler Murray, the Texas native who won a Heisman Trophy under Lincoln Riley at Oklahoma. Wright is also a two-sport athlete with Division I basketball offers.
USC could be in position to land several local standouts before the 2028 class really takes off, and any of them could wind up as the first commit.
Mater Dei four-star safety Ace Leutele has been around the program for years, going back to childhood trips to the Coliseum to watch his older cousins play. He has stayed close to USC as a recruit and even wore a USC headband and gloves at a passing league tournament last month. The connection runs deeper because he won a national championship with four freshmen on the Trojans roster and two 2027 commits at Mater Dei in 2024.
Another name to watch is St. John Bosco (Calif.) four-star IOL Elisha Mueller, who was last on campus in June for a workout with Hanson. USC is also trending for Corona Centennial (Calif.) three-star running back Malaki Davis, who has had the Trojans at the top of his list since spring after three visits, plus another in June for a workout with running backs coach Anthony Jones.
Davis was the only school he visited during the summer, and the local back plans to be at every USC home game this fall.
In Other News...
USC May Be Closing In On Lincoln Rileys Next QB Of The Future
USC appears to be making a move well ahead of schedule at the quarterback position, and the latest name tied to Lincoln Rileys pipeline is Texas prospect Trey Wright. A three-star recruit from Lone Star High in Frisco, Wright has picked up attention from a wide range of programs, with Colorado, Oregon, UCLA, Michigan, TCU and SMU all in the mix as he weighs his next step.
National recruiting insider Steve Wiltfong reports that Wright is expected to land with the Trojans, which would give USC another potential long-term answer under center to develop for the future. For a program that has built much of its identity around elite quarterback play, getting ahead of a crowded recruiting race could matter just as much as the commitment itself. [Read more 🡒]
USCs Next Wave At Receiver Is Already Turning Heads
Fall camp is giving USC a first real look at the receiver rooms next chapter, and the attention has naturally shifted to the players who could help fill the void left by departures to the NFL. Among the names drawing interest are sophomore Tanook Hines, who already has college experience, and freshman Ethan Boobie Feaster, whose arrival came with the sort of recruiting buzz that follows a highly ranked prospect into August.
Both have flashed the kind of physical tools that fit what USC wants to do on offense, which is why they are already being mentioned as possible major contributors by the 2026 season. It is still early, of course, but the encouraging part for the Trojans is that the next wave at receiver does not look like a waiting project, and camp is starting to show that the transition in that group may come faster than expected. [Read more 🡒]
USC Heads Into Scrimmage With One Crucial Offensive Line Job Unsettled
USC is set to get a longer look at itself in a closed scrimmage at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, a useful checkpoint for Lincoln Riley as kickoff approaches. The staff is trying to sort out readiness and depth across the roster, and nowhere is that more important than up front, where the Trojans have had to keep searching for the right combination as camp rolls on.
Kaylon Miller has been among the linemen drawing attention for his progress, and the center competition has become one of the more important pieces of the preseason puzzle. With the offense still working through that spot, this scrimmage should give USC a clearer sense of who can handle the job and who is ready to step in when the games start to count. [Read more 🡒]