USC’s freshman class doesn’t need to arrive in 2026 like a parade of instant stars. That’s not how most college players work, and it’s probably not a fair ask anyway. What the Trojans do need is simpler and, in its own way, just as important: the freshmen have to be useful.
That’s the line between a class that merely looks good on paper and one that actually changes the team’s ceiling. USC can live without immediate superstardom from first-year players. It cannot afford a class that disappears.
ESPN’s Bill Connelly put it plainly when he said USC could make a run at the national title "If ... an incredible freshman class produces. Title pushes require depth, and though USC's elite recruiting class doesn't need to produce immediate stars, it would sure help the cause if at least one freshman stood out at receiver (Boobie Feaster?
Kayden Dixon-Wyatt? Trent Mosley?), defensive end (Luke Wafle?
Simote Katoanga?) and cornerback (Elbert Hill IV?
Brandon Lockhart?)."
That depth piece is the real story. USC needs help at receiver.
It needs bodies and performance along the defensive line. It needs more in the secondary.
If those freshman classes can give the Trojans real production lower on the depth chart, that’s the kind of support that can keep last season’s issues from showing up again against better competition.
So the ask for USC’s freshmen in 2026 isn’t flashy. They don’t have to solve everything. They just have to be competent, be ready, and be good enough to step in when the moment calls.
In Other News...
USC Is Making A Serious Push For An Elite 2028 Pass Rusher
Major Stokes is only getting started in the 2028 recruiting cycle, but the four-star defensive end already has national programs paying close attention. USC is on the list of schools he plans to visit on game days, along with Ohio State, as he sorts through an early process that still has plenty of time to play out. For the Trojans, the appeal is clear: defensive end coach Shaun Nua has emerged as a significant part of why Stokes is looking seriously at the program.
Michigan is also very much in the mix, thanks to Stokes relationship with defensive line coach Lewis Powell, and the recruiting picture figures to stay fluid as he works through his junior year before making any commitment. For USC, that means the next stretch matters just as much as the visits themselves, because landing an elite pass rusher this early often comes down to keeping the right relationships warm while the rest of the field keeps pressing. [Read more 🡒]
Notre Dame And USC Still Carry A Rivalry Fans Refuse To Lose
When ESPN put together its list of power-conference college football archenemies, USCs entry was loaded with familiar names: Oregon, Northwestern, UCLA, Notre Dame and even the NCAA. That says plenty about the programs place in the sport, but it also captures how many different kinds of feuds the Trojans have carried through the years, from regional pride to national stakes to the fallout from off-field battles.
Among them, the Notre Dame series still has a weight all its own, the kind of rivalry that refuses to lose its edge no matter how college football changes around it. USCs history with UCLA remains a defining West Coast measuring stick, especially through the Pete Carroll era, while Oregon has become a more current on-field annoyance. And then there is the NCAA, a rival in a very different sense, one that left its own mark on the program and still lingers in the background of how USC is remembered. [Read more 🡒]
USC Suddenly Has A Troubling O Line Problem To Solve
USCs offensive line entered the offseason with some momentum after a solid 2025 under Zach Hanson, but the outlook took a sharp hit with the loss of expected starting center Kilian OConnor. The setback leaves a notable void in the middle of the line, where USC had been counting on OConnor to be a stabilizing presence as the unit tries to keep building on last seasons progress.
The timing makes the situation even more uncomfortable because the Trojans are heading toward a schedule that will demand answers quickly against strong defensive fronts. USC will have to sort through replacement options and settle the interior line before the pressure starts to rise, and the first real test of how ready that group is comes later in the month against Oregon. [Read more 🡒]