Georgia Bulldogs Challenging USC Trojans for No. 1-Ranked Recruiting Class

The USC Trojans hired a brand-new personnel and recruiting staff this offseason, with general manager Chad Bowden at the head of table to improve its recruiting efforts, particularly in the state of California.

USC has been criticized in the past for its inability to recruit top prospects in their own backyard. They signed only five players from California in the 2025 cycle. Rancho Cucamonga (Calif.) five-star cornerback RJ Sermons, who reclassified from the 2026 to the 2025 class, will be the sixth when he officially enrolls this month.

Georgia Bulldogs Challenging USC Trojans for No. 1 Ranked Recruiting Class — 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

Programs such as Alabama, Texas A&M and Oregon developed strong recruiting footprints in California, while the Trojans had become a secondary school in its own state.

Bowden has come in and immediately flipped the narrative. USC holds commitments from 17 recruits in California in the class of 2026, which includes eight of the top-30 prospects, according to the 247 Composite Rankings, headlined by five-star tight end Mark Bowman, four-star cornerback Brandon Lockhart, four-star EDGE Simote Katoanga, four-star running back Deshonne Redeaux, four-star defensive lineman Tomuhini Topui and four-star receiver Trent Mosley. The next closest is Ohio State and Texas A&M with three.

IMG Academy (Fla.) five-star offensive tackle Keenyi Pepe and Kahuku (Hawaii) four-star linebacker Talanoa Ili have strong California ties. Pepe was born and raised in Long Beach, while Ili was a three-year starter at nearby Orange Lutheran (Calif.), before he transferred to the islands this spring.

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The Trojans certainly have limited themselves to California. They have landed two top 100 prospects from the Lone Star State in DeSoto (Texas) four-star Boobie Feaster and Richardson (Texas) four-star defensive lineman Jaimeon Winfield.

After completing its first season in the Big Ten, the Trojans have started to establish a recruiting footprint in the Midwest, landing Archbishop Hoban (Ohio) five-star cornerback Elbert Hill, Lincoln-Way East (Ill.) four-star quarterback Jonas Williams, Mount Carmel (Ill.) four-star defensive lineman Braeden Jones and Harvey (Ohio) four-star running back Shahn Alston.

USC has even expanded to the opposite coast, landing a commitment from Hun School (N.J.) four-star EDGE Luke Wafle over Ohio State and Penn State last month.

In total, the Trojans hold 31 commitments and own the No. 1 ranked class according to every recruiting site, but Georgia is fast approaching behind them.

The Bulldogs hold 29 commitments, eight of which are inside the 247Sports Composite Rankings top 100 overall prospects, headlined by Nashville Christian School (Tenn.) five-star quarterback Jared Curtis, the No. 1 ranked signal-caller.

Georgia coach Kirby Smart was relentless on the recruiting trail when he served as Alabama’s defensive coordinator under Nick Saban for eight years. That carried over when he headed to Athens almost a decade ago and has finished with the top three recruiting class every single cycle since 2017, which has included three No. 1 classes.

It will be a close race from now until recruits can officially sign with their schools in December during the early signing period.

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