Inside USC’s Drastic Changes That Have Led to Recruiting Success

The USC Trojans have made seen a recruiting surge the past couple of cycles after some major changes inside the program.

Aug 30, 2025; Los Angeles, California, USA; Southern California Trojans head coach Lincoln Riley watches from the sidelines against the Missouri State Bears in the first half at United Airlines Field at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

USC had a wave of decommitments in the weeks leading up to the early signing period in December 2024. The Trojans saw their top 10 recruiting class in the 2025 cycle begin to fall apart down the stretch. 

But it wasn’t just that specific period where USC was losing its top recruits. It had been a repeated problem for the program before the arrival of general manager Chad Bowden in January 2025. With Bowden at the head of the table in the personnel/recruiting department, Southern Cal hired an NFL-style front office and have put a coaching staff in place that could compete with anyone in the country in recruiting. Last January serves as a fixed point for when everything started to change in Los Angeles. 

Aug 30, 2025; Los Angeles, California, USA; Southern California Trojans head coach Lincoln Riley watches from the sidelines against the Missouri State Bears in the first half at United Airlines Field at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

Three things have drastically changed for the Trojans in recruiting. For starters, they can now compete in NIL, specifically with a school like Oregon on the West Coast, who had taken over Southern California in recruiting. USC used to be severely lacking in that area and in this day and age of college football, it’s vital. 

Second, the culture has changed and that comes from Bowden, head coach Lincoln Riley and athletic director Jen Cohen sharing a similar vision and working in unison. That has trickled down to the coaching staff and carries into the locker room with the players. The new culture has created much needed structure in the program. 

And finally, USC has done a much better job of building strong relationships with recruits and even after they are committed, the Trojans have continued to treat them as a high priority. Consistently making their players feel loved, which is a big deal with high school recruiting. Prospects have repeatedly brought up how much Riley cares about his players outside of football. That sentiment is felt throughout the building with assistant coaches and personnel staff members as well. 

Securing Top Commits

USC Trojans general manager Chad Bowden hired from Notre Dame Fighting Irish | USC Trojans Video Youtube

The Trojans landed a big-time commitment from San Diego (Calif.) Cathedral Catholic five-star athlete Honor Fa’alave-Johnson in March. However, that didn’t stop schools from continuing to contact the two-way star, most notably Texas. 

USC responded by sending five personnel members to San Diego, including Bowden, director of high school recruiting relations Aaron Amaama, aka Coach Dogg, inside receivers/tight ends coach Chad Savage, defensive ends coach Shaun Nua, and safeties coach Paul Gonzales to meet with their prized recruit. Bowden, Dogg, Gonzales and Savage took the helicopter, while Nua drove. 

According to a source, they talked for about an hour and half with Fa’alave-Johnson and shortly after, the Trojans commit announced publicly that he was shutting down his recruitment.

Miami had reportedly been “in talks” with four-star receiver commits Quentin Hale and Eli Woodard but that is all it ever was, talking, and heading into official visit season, there is zero indication either are anything but 100% locked in with USC. If this were a couple of years ago, the Trojans would most likely have a few decommitments by now. However, this is a different era. They kept their No. 1 class in the 2026 class intact all year and the 2027 class is no different. 

Southern California high schools have been hosting their College Showcases this month and the Trojans staff have made their presence felt at these events. 

Assistant general manager Dre Brown and executive director of player personnel Max Stienecker were at Corona Centennial (Calif.) on May 7 to see Hale. The moment the event ended those two immediately went and talked with Hale and the three of them spent an extended period of time chatting that night. 

Five staff members, including Bowden, Brown, Savage and Gonzales and director of recruiting Weston Zernechel were at St. John Bosco (Calif.) this past Wednesday evening. Bowden spoke with and was coaching up three-star linebacker commit Josiah Poyer afterwards. Bowden, Brown and Zernechel were at Mater Dei (Calif.) Thursday morning to see four-star cornerback commit Danny Lang. Southern Cal has created a pipeline with the two national powerhouses. 

Lang and Bowden were talking for extended period of time throughout the practice. The local star would also consistently stand with the Trojans personnel staff when he wasn’t on the field. Oregon and Ohio State have continued to pursue Lang, but the USC commit said after the showcase that he has shut down his recruitment. 

Stacking Recruiting Classes

Mater Dei (Calif.) 2027 cornerback and USC Trojans commit Danny Lang | USC Trojans on SI

In their first year with a revamped staff, the Trojans signed the No. 1 class in the 2026 cycle. USC restored local pipelines and became the preeminent recruiting force in California for the first time in at least a decade, while also landing several out-of-state blue-chip prospects. 

A freshman class made up of stars from across the country, ready to make an immediate impact. It was a complete turnaround and for the first time in the NIL era, they are no longer playing catch-up with the rest of college football off the field. 

The Trojans have carried that momentum into the 2027 cycle and currently hold a top five class according to 247Sports and Rivals. It will be a much smaller class than the last cycle. USC currently hold 13 commitments and will take three to four more recruits, with the fourth most likely coming in the fall. They signed 35 recruits in 2026. 

It’s still very early for the 2028 class but because of their recent recruiting success, particularly in Southern California, they have started to make waves with a number of local prospects. 

The work has been done in the offseason and with recruiting. The pieces are in place. Now, with a pressure packed year five of the Riley tenure, it’s all about results on the field. 

Sign up to our free newsletter and follow us on Facebook, and X for the latest news.