USC’s 2027 recruiting class is sitting at 14 commitments, but the latest ESPN update shows the Trojans still chasing a few Big Ten programs in the national picture.
Craig Haubert’s expanded top 35 has USC at No. 18 overall, which puts the Trojans sixth among Big Ten teams in his ranking. Ahead of them in the conference are Oregon at No.
3, Ohio State at No. 7, Michigan at No.
11, Nebraska at No. 13 and UCLA at No. 15.
The top of the list is hardly shocking with Oregon and Ohio State near the front. Both programs have spent the past few years living in the upper tier of recruiting rankings.
Michigan’s spot just ahead of USC is more familiar, too. The Wolverines had spent much of this cycle trading blows with the Trojans and still carry the weight of a program that won the 2023 national title.
The bigger eyebrow-raisers are Nebraska and UCLA. Nebraska has not reached double-digit wins in a season since 2012, and after a bowl drought from 2017 through 2023, the Cornhuskers have only managed to sneak into bowls the last two years.
Then there’s UCLA, which is the Big Ten program directly above USC. The Bruins are heading into a transition year in 2026 under new head coach Bob Chesney. Chesney came over after leading James Madison from 2024-2025 and taking the Dukes to the College Football Playoff in 2025, a stage USC has never reached.
For USC, the bigger picture still looks promising. Lincoln Riley is entering his fifth season in Los Angeles with a 35-18 record, though he has yet to deliver a conference championship or a playoff berth.
The Trojans did land the No. 1 2026 recruiting class, and their 2025 season was a clear step up from 2024. With a loaded roster and the new Bloom Performance Center in place, the expectation now is simple: turn the momentum into results on the field.
That won’t be easy. USC’s 2026 schedule is shaping up as one of the toughest in the Big Ten, with games against Indiana, Ohio State and Oregon, plus a road trip to Penn State and the challenge of Happy Valley.
In Other News...
USC Veterans Are Already Saying The Same Thing About Luke Wafle
Luke Wafle has barely gotten to USC, but the buzz around him already sounds familiar to anyone who has spent time around a elite defensive recruit. The five-star edge rusher arrived as part of the Trojans top-ranked 2026 class, and during Media Day, several veterans kept coming back to the same points about him: his physical tools, his work habits and the way he carries himself. For a program looking to reload on defense, that kind of early praise usually means a newcomer has made a fast impression.
USC is not handing out anything based on reputation alone, though Wafle is expected to be in the mix for a starting job as the season approaches. The real test will come once the pads are on and the competition tightens, but the Trojans clearly believe he has the makeup to help right away. For a freshman entering a room full of older players, being talked about this way before the season even starts is a strong sign his path to playing time may be shorter than expected. [Read more 🡒]
USCs Receiver Buzz Is Growing As One Key Job Stays Open
The Bloom Center at USC got its formal unveiling with a ribbon-cutting for donors and invite-only guests, a sign of how much anticipation has built around the program as fall camp moves along. On the field, practice five looked pretty routine, with no major lineup shakeups, but the wide receiver room continued to stand out thanks to a group that includes several true freshmen and looks deeper than it did a year ago.
Kick return remains one of the few spots still in flux, with multiple players getting work as the staff continues to sort out that job. For a team trying to layer in young playmakers while tightening the edges of its special teams, the receiver depth has become an encouraging storyline, even if one important role is still open for business. [Read more 🡒]
USC WR Terrell Anderson Revealed The Toughest Cover Test Of His Career
Terrell Andersons first months at USC have come with the kind of adjustment every transfer wide receiver expects, but also the kind that can sharpen a player in a hurry. After arriving from North Carolina State, Anderson has talked about settling into the Trojans offense while also measuring himself against the best defensive backs he has seen in college football, a process he says has helped him grow as he gets comfortable in his new setting.
What stands out most for Anderson is how much value he puts on the daily work around him, especially the challenge of going against a USC secondary that forces receivers to stay honest on every rep. He also pointed to the tougher defensive tests ahead on the Trojans 2026 schedule, a reminder that his development now is tied not just to learning the playbook, but to preparing for the kind of coverage battles USC expects him to handle when the games start carrying real weight. [Read more 🡒]