USC’s early season dominance on the field is starting to pay off on the recruiting trail, and the latest win of sorts came from one of the top receiver prospects in the 2028 class.
Braylon Clark, a 6-foot-3, 185-pound wideout from Providence Day School in Charlotte, North Carolina, trimmed his list of schools on Labor Day and included USC among his final 12. He did it through Hayes Fawcett of On3, giving Lincoln Riley and the Trojans another high-end target to track closely.
Clark is the top-ranked recruit in North Carolina for his class, and USC remains the only California program on his list. The Trojans are also one of four Big Ten teams to make the cut, keeping them squarely in the mix for a player Rivals pegs as the No. 6 recruit in the 2028 Rivals300.
Depending on the outlet, Clark’s standing shifts a bit, but the buzz is the same. Rivals and ESPN both slot him as the nation’s No. 3 receiver, while 247Sports lists him as the No. 28 overall player, the No. 3 wideout, and the No. 2 prospect in North Carolina. ESPN and 247 also view him as a four-star, while Rivals has him as a five-star.
What makes Clark such a compelling fit is the kind of juice he brings as a receiver. He already shows advanced athleticism for a prep player and knows how to use his frame and speed together.
He can run past coverage, threaten defenses vertically, and separate with sharp, explosive feet. The comparison in the source material is hard to miss: he moves like “a small forward driving to the hoop on the basketball court.”
There’s also real value in the red zone. Clark has the jump-ball ability to win contested throws inside the 20, which would give USC another future weapon on the perimeter. That matters with freshmen sensation Trent Mosley already flashing and fellow prized 2026 addition Kayden Dixon-Wyatt also in the mix.
Clark’s résumé already backs up the hype. As a sophomore, he posted 1,093 receiving yards and 12 touchdowns, numbers that helped push him into the national spotlight.
USC’s push here also fits a broader recruiting surge under general manager Chad Bowden. The Trojans have already landed blue-chip wideouts like Mosley and Dixon-Wyatt, and they’ve added Frisco, Texas quarterback Trey Wright to headline the 2028 class. That quarterback commitment could help with Clark as the process moves forward.
Still, the Trojans have company. Miami is in the hunt as it looks ahead to replacing Malachi Toney.
Ohio State is another major threat, with the Buckeyes needing their next breakout receiver after Jeremiah Smith and continuing their first-round NFL Draft pipeline. Oregon is firmly involved too, after landing five-star wideout Dakota Guerrant and bringing in fellow five-star Dakorien Moore, who is already thriving in Eugene.
Indiana has also entered the conversation as a legitimate player for elite talent after landing local star Monshun Sales in the summer of 2026.
For USC, the path to Clark will take coordination from Riley, Bowden, offensive coordinator Luke Huard, and receivers coaches Dennis Simmons and Chad Savage. The Trojans have momentum. Now they have to turn that into a North Carolina win.
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The larger question now is how much of that first impression turns into a bigger role as the season settles in. For a Trojans team that wants depth to matter in a long year, the encouraging part is not just that these freshmen played, but that a few of them already looked like they belonged in bigger moments. The next step is proving that Week 1 was the start of something more than a one-game boost. [Read more 🡒]
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For a team trying to establish an identity early, the encouraging part is how many first- and second-year contributors are already shaping games in different ways. Not every young Trojan had the same kind of impact, with Boobie Feaster and Tanook Hines quieter than some of their classmates, but the bigger picture is hard to miss: USC is getting faster development around Maiava, and that kind of balance can matter long before the schedule gets serious. [Read more 🡒]
USC Gets A Trickier Test Than Fans May Expect From Louisiana
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The broader oddity in Louisiana's schedule only adds to the intrigue for USC, because the Cajuns are set to play at the Coliseum and later at Georgia State, making them the first NCAA football team to visit two Olympic stadiums in the same season. For the Trojans, the matchup is not just about avoiding a surprise, but about handling a disciplined, opportunistic team that already showed it can lean on the run game and make opponents pay when they lose control of the game. [Read more 🡒]