Uncommitted Five-Star Recruit Brandon Arrington Compares USC Trojans To Alabama

Class of 2026 five-star athlete Brandon Arrington has narrowed down his top 12 schools. Lincoln Riley and the USC Trojans are one of the frontrunners, along with the Alabama Crimson Tide and Oregon Ducks.

Dec 31, 2024; Tampa, FL, USA; Alabama Crimson Tide head coach Kalen DeBoer looks on against the Michigan Wolverines during the first half at Raymond James Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matt Pendleton-Imagn Images / Matt Pendleton-Imagn Images

Five-star athlete Brandon Arrington released his top 12 schools. Among the list was the USC Trojans, who have been heavily pursuing the elite athlete. In addition to USC, the Alabama Crimson Tide and Oregon Ducks are the programs trending upward for Arrington. 

Arrington is from the class of 2026 and is a big recruit many top schools have been pushing for. He is the No. 8 player in the nation, the No. 1 athlete, and the No. 2 player from California, per the On3 Industry Rankings. 

Along with USC, Alabama, and Oregon, the other schools in his top 12 are Florida State, Georgia, LSU, Michigan, Nebraska, Oklahoma, Penn State, Texas A&M, and UCLA. The Texas A&M Aggies seemed to be the team to beat earlier in the process, but their momentum has slowed down.

Dec 31, 2024; Tampa, FL, USA; Alabama Crimson Tide head coach Kalen DeBoer looks on against the Michigan Wolverines during the first half at Raymond James Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matt Pendleton-Imagn Images / Matt Pendleton-Imagn Images

Arrington spoke to On3 about his top schools, and what the 12 programs have in common.

“These schools stand out because I have visited most of them and had great talks with the coaches. All of these programs have a history of getting high recruits to the league too," Arrington told On3. "All of these schools stay in touch and show the most love.”

Arrington has already visited most schools but has yet to go to Florida State, Georgia, LSU, Michigan, and Penn State. He plans to visit Georgia in March. Arrington visited the USC Trojans when they faced the Nebraska Cornhuskers on Nov. 16. 

After the visit with USC and coach Lincon Riley, Arrington spoke to On3 about it being a “great” time.

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“I had a great experience at USC,” Arrington told On3. “It was a great game and I had a great time with the players and the coaches. The atmosphere was fun. The band, the people, the DJ’s – everything was fun.”

Since the season ended, Riley did visit Arrington in January, keeping strong contact with the in-state prospect. USC made an offer for Arrington in May. After the offer was made, Arrington told On3 why playing for the USC Trojans is an interest of his.

“Growing up, I just liked USC,” Arrington previously told On3. “I’ve seen their history. I went to Helix and Reggie Bush went to Helix, so I looked up to Reggie Bush. I looked up to Adoree’ Jackson. I looked up to all those guys. I used to watch them a lot, so they’ve influenced me to always want to go to USC.” 

USC has the edge when it comes to location, and making a push for the in-state recruit will be crucial for the Trojans.

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

Arrington visited Alabama on Feb. 1 and after an impressive visit, the Crimson Tide are starting to be the team to beat. 

“Just about everything caught my attention,” Arrington told On3. “I saw the Jim Thorpe awards, the Heisman trophies, all the national championships and the history of the coaching staffs Alabama has had there.”

The USC Trojans are recruiting a strong class of 2026. Per On3, the Trojans recruiting class ranks No. 2 in the nation, only behind the Oregon Ducks. USC has received commitments from eight players, five of which are four-star recruits. Riley and the Trojans have not yet received a commitment from a five-star player. Recruiting Arrington could be what pushes USC to No. 1 and would keep them with one of the top recruiting classes. 

Arrington will hold numerous spring visits with his top teams and then make his decision in the summer. While Alabama and Oregon are pursuing the five-star recruit, USC is right in the running. 

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