California Recruit Jaion Smith Talks Receiving Dream Offer From USC Trojans

Santa Margarita (Calif.) 2028 three-star running back Jaion Smith worked out at USC on Thursday, June 11 and walked away with his “dream offer” from the Trojans.

“I just love the city, I love being out here," Smith said. "Families here, I don't want to go too far away from my family, and they can drive maybe 20 minutes to come see me play or even come visit me.”

USC Trojans Recruiting Santa Margarita Trent Mosley Summer Unofficial Visit Scholarship Offer Jaion Smith Carson Palmer — Nov 30, 2024; Los Angeles, California, USA; Southern California Trojans head coach Lincoln Riley reacts against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish in the second half at United Airlines Field at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

Smith has family ties to USC. His cousin is former star cornerback Jaylin Smith, who was selected in the third round by the Houston Texans in the 2025 NFL Draft.

“Being younger, looking at him like, wow, this could be me one day,” Smith said. "Time went by, keeping my head down, working, and now it just came, and it feels good.”

Santa Margarita to USC Pipeline

Smith plays at Trinity League power Santa Margarita, a school that has become a pipeline for the Trojans. A program that is also under the direction of former USC Heisman Trophy winner Carson Palmerm, while former Trojans offensive lineman Lenny Vandermade serves as the offensive coordinator.

Southern Cal signed three of Smith’s teammates in the 2026 class in freshmen receiver Trent Mosley, defensive end Simote Katoanga and cornerback Jayden Crowder. They also hold a commitment from three-star defensive lineman Isaia Vandermade. Four key players that were instrumental in them winning the Open Division state championship last fall.

“They're trying to get all the best guys to stay in the state and build a powerhouse with the guys from this state,” Smith said.

In total, the Trojans have a total of five players on its roster from Santa Margarita, which also includes redshirt freshman offensive tackle Elijah Vaikona and redshirt senior center Kilian O’Connor.

In addition to Smith, it was a school that was well represented at USC on Thursday. Four-star cornerback Ca’ron “Prime” Williams is a high-priority target in the 2028 class. While edge KJ Herndon and receiver/linebacker Aydan Steen are 2030 prospects but already hold an offer from the Trojans. And 2028 four-star linebacker Allen “Cinco” Kennett V was on campus for a third time this calendar year on June 4.

“You want to go somewhere where you're going to be comfortable at,” Smith said. “Knowing a lot of guys that go there just makes you more comfortable, make it feel like home basically.”

USC has put an emphasis on building pipelines with premier local high schools the past couple of cycles in an effort to lockdown the state in recruiting and Santa Margarita is one of the schools that has been at forefront.

“We're trying to like build something special in Cali, Smith said. “Why go out of state when we can build something out here.”

Playing in the Trinity League

Smith plays in the prestigious Trinity League conference, which is made up of six elite private schools that are loaded with Power Four talent every recruiting cycle.

“It's probably the closest thing to college with just the competition every week,” Smith said. “It's not like you got any freebie games. You got to work every play, every game, so that's the biggest thing, just competition in this league.”

Smith is not only being prepared for the next level with the competition he faces on Friday nights but also with his preparation throughout the week and in the offseason under Palmer.

“He's very NFL-like with all his business. He wants everything to be the best it can,” Smith said. “He's pinpointing like every detail. We're going to watch a lot of film. It's like it's very detailed, and he makes the game easier for us.”

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