USC is in the middle of a heavyweight recruiting fight for one of the biggest names in women’s basketball.
Kaleena Smith, the consensus No. 1 overall prospect in the Class of 2027, has lined up 11 official visits, according to 247Sports, and the Trojans remain firmly in the mix. The list of schools chasing her reads like a who’s who of the sport: UConn, Baylor, Tennessee and other national powers are all in the hunt.
Smith’s résumé already looks like that of a future star. The 5-6 guard just helped Team USA win gold at the 2026 FIBA U18 Women’s AmeriCup, where she averaged 19.8 points per game across a perfect 5-0 run and landed on the tournament’s All-Star Five.
She also picked up 2025-26 MaxPreps National Player of the Year honors after a monster junior season at Ontario Christian High School. Smith put up 31.5 points, 6.9 assists, 4.5 steals and 3.7 rebounds per game while leading the Knights to a 34-2 record and the first CIF Open Division state championship in school history.
USC has a few things working in its favor. Smith is from Ontario, California, which puts the Trojans’ campus about 40 miles from home. That kind of proximity matters, especially for a recruit with family ties and the chance to stay in Southern California while still chasing national titles.
UCLA offers a similar pitch after winning the program’s first NCAA national championship, so the Los Angeles schools figure to be battling each other throughout the process. But USC’s location gives Lindsay Gottlieb’s staff a chance to stay close to Smith and her family as the recruitment unfolds.
The Trojans can also sell one of the strongest NIL setups in the women’s game. Being in Los Angeles brings major marketing reach, and USC’s place in a huge media market gives it an edge that plenty of programs simply can’t match. Add in institutional revenue sharing and the school’s continued investment in women’s basketball, and the pitch gets even stronger.
Then there’s the on-court development piece, which USC can point to without hesitation. JuJu Watkins put together one of the best freshman seasons the sport has ever seen in 2023-24, averaging 27.1 points, 7.3 rebounds, 3.3 assists, 2.3 steals and 1.6 blocks per game. She scored a freshman-record 920 points, had 14 games of at least 30 points and earned National Freshman of the Year and unanimous First-Team All-American honors.
Freshman guard Jazzy Davidson also broke through in 2025-26, averaging 17.9 points, 5.6 rebounds and 4.1 assists while earning USBWA National Freshman of the Year, Big Ten Freshman of the Year and First-Team All-Big Ten recognition.
For Smith, that kind of track record matters. Watkins and Davidson give USC a clear example of how a young star can step in and make noise right away, and they also give the program built-in mentors as Smith makes the jump to college.
The timeline is starting to come into focus, too. Elite Class of 2027 prospects are expected to start making decisions later this fall, with many announcing before or during the early signing period. Smith’s last scheduled visit is set for Nov. 13 at Texas A&M, so her recruitment could start narrowing soon after that.
However it plays out, Smith is one of the biggest recruiting names USC fans will be tracking over the next few months.
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Lincoln Riley Faces Another Defining USC Quarterback Recruiting Battle
Lincoln Rileys fifth season at USC has only sharpened the importance of quarterback recruiting, and the staffs approach has clearly evolved. Rather than chasing every headline, the Trojans have leaned harder into keeping top California talent home, spending NIL money more carefully and still making sure the blue-chip names at the sports most important position stay on the board. That backdrop is why the 2026 class matters so much already, with Jonas Williams in place as a four-star prospect from Illinois.
The next wave is even more intriguing, and it starts with Christopher Vargas, a highly rated 2028 quarterback from Massachusetts who has drawn offers from USC, UCLA, Washington and Ohio State. Riley remains USCs biggest selling point in these battles, and Vargas has already had a chance to see the campus and atmosphere for himself. For the Trojans, the challenge is familiar: land an elite quarterback early, keep the room stocked for the future, and avoid letting another national power set the pace in a recruiting race that could shape the program for years. [Read more 🡒]
USC May Be Closing In On A Key Piece For Its Future Backfield
USCs push for Malaki Davis has been building for a while, and the 2028 running back has become one of the more interesting names in the programs early recruiting picture. The Trojans have already extended an offer, hosted him multiple times and kept the relationship warm with running backs coach Anthony Jones, who has made several visits of his own. Davis has drawn attention from multiple schools, but USC has stayed in the mix as one of the most persistent programs in his recruitment.
The connection with Jones appears to matter, and Davis has said those visits mean a lot to him as the Trojans try to separate themselves from the rest of the field. He is planning to be back around the program this season by attending USC home games, which gives the staff another chance to keep selling the vision in person. With other offers still out there and more recruiting trips possible, USC looks well positioned, but this one is still in the stage where relationships could end up mattering as much as the offer sheet. [Read more 🡒]