4-Star Recruit Turns Heads At USC Trojans Practice Visit

USC hosted a major recruiting target on Wednesday in Cajon (Calif.) four-star offensive tackle Austin Attalah.

In the first Rivals300 rankings for the 2028 class that were released Monday, Attalah was rated as the No. 11 overall recruit, No. 2 offensive tackle and No. 1 player in California.

USC’s Pursuit of Austin Attalah

USC Trojans Recruiting Class Lincoln Riley Spring Practice Visit Austin Attalah Danny Lang Commitment Mater Dei Jordan Hicks — Sep 21, 2024; Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA; USC Trojans head coach Lincoln Riley on the sideline in the second half against the Michigan Wolverines at Michigan Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Rick Osentoski-Imagn Images | Rick Osentoski-Imagn Images

USC has made it very clear they have once again put a priority on recruiting elite recruits from Southern California and Attalah is high on the board in the 2028 class.

The 6-foot-8, 290-pound local product picked up an offer from his hometown school during his visit to campus on March 7 and the Trojans are quickly making a move on him. Attalah comes from the same school as USC freshman linebacker Taylor Johnson.

Offensive line coach Zach Hanson has proven to be an elite recruiter. In the 2026 cycle, he signed five-star offensive tackle Keenyi Pepe, the No. 5 overall recruit and No. 1 player at his position, according to 247Sports.

Hanson also landed two more offensive linemen inside the top 150 overall prospects in offensive tackle Vlad Dyakonov and IOL Esun Tafa. Freshman IOL Breck Kolojay was a top 200 recruit. Hanson is aggressive on the recruiting trail and has continued to be for the next two classes.

Attalah will certainly have his choices. He entered this new year with one offer and has seen his recruitment skyrocket over the last month. Since picking up an offer from Washington on February 27, other notable schools have extended a scholarship, including Nebraska, Notre Dame, Oregon, Utah, Texas A&M, Miami, LSU, Penn State and Florida.

2028 Southern California Recruiting Targets

USC has seen a wave of 2028 recruits make their way spring practice over this past month, particularly in the secondary.

Southern Cal landed a big commitment in the secondary for the 2027 class Wednesday night in Mater Dei (Calif.) four-star cornerback and top 100 overall recruit Danny Lang. They have their sights on another defensive back from the national powerhouse in 2028 safety Ace Leutele.

Mission Viejo (Calif.) four-star safety Jordan Hicks also comes from Orange County and has taken notice of local recruits starting to stay home.

“It makes me double look at it because they’re really putting on for California,” Hicks said. “Growing up when I was watching high school football, most of the top Cali recruits they would go somewhere else. They were never staying home and putting on for their city.

“But now you’re seeing it changing and everyone wants to stay here. You see the new building they’re bringing, they’re actually making it happen .They got another big time guy, so they’re changing the program for the better.”

Santa Margarita (Calif.) has become a pipeline for the Trojans. After signing three recruits from them in the 2026 class, they now have five players from the Trinity League power on its current roster and hold a commitment from three-star defensive lineman Isaia Vandermade in the 2027 class. 2028 three-star linebacker Allen Kennett grew up a die-hard USC fan and picked up an offer from them on the same day as Attalah earlier this month.

Palos Verdes (Calif.) four-star safety Jalen Flowers is one of the top players on the West Coast and has been on campus twice this spring. An offer from the Trojans earlier this year caught the attention of Corona Centennial (Calif.) three-star running back Malaki Davis. USC holds a commitment from his teammate, 2027 four-star receiver Quentin Hale.

In addition to Attalah, USC hosted a couple of local stars on Wednesday in Long Beach (Calif.) four-star athlete Zion Anderson and Vista Del Lago (Calif.) four-star quarterback Josiah Boyd.

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