Elite 4-Star Recruit Luke Wafle To Commit To USC Trojans Over Penn State, Florida?

The USC Trojans have an elite recruiting class of 2026, looking to continue to bring in the top prospects. Four-star edge Luke Wafle narrowed his top five schools, featuring the USC Trojans. Wafle locked in an official as USC looks to bring in the top recruits.

Apr 26, 2025; University Park, PA, USA; Penn State Nittany Lions head coach James Franklin prior to the Blue White spring game at Beaver Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matthew O'Haren-Imagn Images / Matthew O'Haren-Imagn Images

The USC Trojans are looking to add to their elite recruiting class of 2026. The Trojans lost a commitment from five-star defensive line recruit Xavier Griffin, but have other targets to bolster its recruiting class even more.

Four-star edge rusher Luke Wafle is down to five schools, including the USC Trojans. Wafle is one of the top edge rushers from the class of 2026. Per the On3 Industry Rankings, Wafle is the No. 53 recruit in the nation, the No. 10 edge, and the No. 1 player from New Jersey. 

In addition to the USC Trojans, Wafle listed the Ohio State Buckeyes, Texas Longhorns, Penn State Nittany Lions, and the Florida Gators in his top five. As an East Coast native, the Nittany Lions and Gators are high on his radar, but he has locked in official visits with all five schools, giving each a shot.

Apr 26, 2025; University Park, PA, USA; Penn State Nittany Lions head coach James Franklin prior to the Blue White spring game at Beaver Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matthew O'Haren-Imagn Images / Matthew O'Haren-Imagn Images

Wafle kicked off his official visits with a trip to Florida. He will have an official with the USC Trojans on June 13, the fourth stop before finishing with a trip to Texas. Waffle and his family visited the Trojans in April which went well, boosting USC’s odds to land the four-star recruit.

The trip to Southern California came after USC defensive line coaches Eric Henderson and Shaun Nua had an in-home visit with the New Jersey native. At USC, Wafle had the chance to meet USC coach Lincoln Riley and defensive coordinator D’Anton Lynn.

“The people, the development,” Wafle told On3 about why USC is rising on his list. “Coach (Shaun) Nua, Coach Henny (Eric) Henderson, Coach (D’Anton) Lynn are just genuine great humans.”

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“I think USC has a bright future,” Wafle said.

After the visit, Wafle’s father spoke to On3 about the experience and where USC stands in the running for his son.

“USC was a very special experience,” Wafle’s father told On3. “Coach Henny and Coach Nua were great. Coach Lynn, we had some really great meetings with those guys. To actually sit down and have a one-on-one with Coach Riley was special. Spent a good amount of time talking about the program.”

“There is a lot of energy around USC. Feel there is a lot of momentum. To go to practice inside The Coliseum and their football alumni there, there were 150 alumni and you could feel it. Things are happening at USC for sure,” Wafle’s father continued.

Nov 16, 2024; Los Angeles, California, USA; Southern California Trojans head coach Lincoln Riley watches game action against the Nebraska Cornhuskers during the second half at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images / Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images

With the loss of Griffin, the Trojans could use another top defensive lineman. The Trojans now rank No. 2 in the nation for the recruiting class of 2026, but still No. 1 in the Big Ten. The Trojans have received 27 commitments, which consists of one five-star recruit and 16 four-stars.

Lynn’s defense is set to be filled with talented recruits, especially across the defensive line. The Trojans have recruited four-star defensive linemen Simote Katoanga, Jaimeon Winfield, Tomuhini Topui, and Braeden Jones. 

Another top recruit could help push the Trojans back to No. 1 in the rankings. The Trojans will need to hold a strong visit to recruit the cross-country prospect.

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