USC recruiting is again on monitor after revamping personnel workplace

[ad_1] USC recruiting is again on monitor after revamping personnel workplace

Lincoln Riley (Picture by © Kirby Lee-Imagn Photos) USC has come again to life.

Coach Lincoln Riley has carried out some phenomenal recruiting this offseason – and it had little or no to do with high 2026 prospects.

The hiring of a recruiting division led by normal supervisor Chad Bowden has rejuvenated the Trojans, how elite native prospects view this system’s course and the way a lot they’re speaking about taking part in at USC once more.

There's a authentic front-office really feel at USC today in amount and high quality that might push the Trojans again to the elite of school soccer. It’s one thing of a birthright that USC is within the playoff dialog.

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Bowden just lately talked with Rivals about his imaginative and prescient for this system, how he and Riley are unified of their strategy and what must get completed to deliver USC again into the nationwide title image.

The switch portal will likely be essential for items however recruiting courses will likely be constructed by way of the highschool ranks. And a few of the greatest highschool soccer expertise wherever is down the street from USC.

“The tradition of what you’re constructing needs to be by way of highschool since you’ll have the chance to be with these youngsters for 4 or 5 years,” Bowden stated. “That needs to be the main focus. We’re nonetheless going to go within the portal nevertheless it’s not going to be an enormous emphasis. It’s going to be getting the precise youngsters in highschool.

“You possibly can construct a staff round highschool recruiting. You possibly can construct a tradition round highschool recruiting. Particularly if the youngsters you usher in worth what a USC diploma can do for them, the coaches and the kind of relationships and improvement we provide these younger individuals.

"All of the issues USC presents these youngsters that they wished simply as dangerous as we wished them and so they’re right here for all the precise causes, we are able to construct a tradition round that and we’re going to deliver that in by way of highschool. It’s going to be an enormous focus on this subsequent class.”

It already is.

USC has jumped out to the No. 1 recruiting class in 2026 and whereas that’s largely because of amount with 20 commitments (no different staff within the high 20 has greater than 14) there may be additionally spectacular high quality for the Trojans together with many native standouts. On Saturday, four-star operating again Deshonne Redeaux from Westlake Village (Calif.) Oaks Christian joined the category.

Additionally vital that shouldn’t go unnoticed: Bellflower (Calif.) St. John Bosco coach Jason Negro and members of his workers had been at a spring apply final week.

That has been a uncommon sight in recent times as coaches and recruiting staffers from native elite packages have privately complained that they had been considerably forgotten by the USC workers.

The subsequent massive step can be to get Santa Ana (Calif.) Mater Dei coach Raul Lara and a few of his assistants there as effectively. The Trinity League in Southern California is arguably the perfect nationally and alluring these coaches over to campus is a significant step in the precise course.

There may be nonetheless plenty of work to do.

Jonas Williams (Picture by Rivals.com) USC has gone from 11-3 to 8-5 to 7-6 in Riley’s three seasons. That is nonetheless a program that fired Lane Kiffin on the LAX tarmac after which held onto Clay Helton for in all probability far too lengthy as a result of he was a pleasant man.

Alabama (led by normal supervisor Courtney Morgan, who has important Los Angeles ties) got here in final recruiting cycle and landed California’s top-two prospects. Solely two of the top-27 prospects within the state final cycle landed with the Trojans. Oregon has carried out because it pleases in California. Georgia dips in at will and flipped a bunch of USC commits final cycle. Texas and others are doing work.

However USC is battling exhausting in 2026. The Trojans already flipped excessive four-star quarterback Jonas Williams and four-star defensive sort out Tomuhini Topui from Oregon. They’ve loaded up at different positions and so they’re engaged on elite in-state gamers.

5-star quarterback Ryder Lyons just lately visited though that appears like a stretch after Williams’ pledge. 5-stars Richard Wesley and particularly Brandon Arrington and Havon Finney Jr. are main targets. USC is heating up with star tight finish Mark Bowman and intriguing Georgia receiver commit Vance Spafford as soon as once more.

"You possibly can construct a staff round highschool recruiting. You possibly can construct a tradition round highschool recruiting."

USC normal supervisor Chad Bowden

If the lifeblood of any program is recruiting, USC is pumping once more and that might deliver significant outcomes quick on the sector.

“We would like the easiest gamers which might be on this metropolis and on this state to play for USC and keep house,” Bowden stated. “We've got respect for each highschool and I consider the perfect highschool soccer is performed in California. That's my true perception and it’s at all times been my perception.

“The principle focus must be preserving these youngsters near house and preserving them in California. California is such a giant state and it has such nice highschool soccer gamers not solely in L.A. however San Diego, Oakland, the Bay Space, in every single place in between there may be such nice highschool soccer. We preserve these youngsters near house, preserve them within the state and construct a fence round California, construct a fence in L.A. it’s going to pay big dividends.”