Is 4-Star Commit Brandon Lockhart ‘Locked In’ With USC Trojans, Lincoln Riley?

Four-star Loyola (Calif.) cornerback recruit Brandon Lockhart is a USC Trojan through and through. Lockhart, a Los Angeles native started gaining national attention as a freshman and then committed to USC in October 2023, his sophomore year.

Despite being offered by the previous defensive regime at USC, Lockhart has never wavered from his commitment. Instead, he’s been focused on building the class around him to help bring the school he grew up a fan of back to what it looked like under former USC coach Pete Carroll.

“When you look back at it, years ago, when Pete Carroll was the head coach, you saw USC recruit high schools like Mater Dei,” Lockhart told 247Sports. “You saw kids committing from the likes of Watts and Compton. They built a pipeline to USC, that pipeline was built of staying home.

Sep 7, 2024; Los Angeles, California, USA; USC Trojans head coach Lincoln Riley reacts against the Utah State Aggies during the second quarter at United Airlines Field at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Jonathan Hui-Imagn Images | Jonathan Hui-Imagn Images

Lockhart has been committed to USC for over almost a year and a half and several schools, including Oregon, Texas A&M and Georgia have tried to pull him away from his hometown school.

“My only official visit is USC,” Lockhart told 247Sports. “Yeah I’m solid.”

Lockhart spent time during the Trojans Junior Day event pushing for local blue-chip prospects to join him in Los Angeles. He continues to be the lead recruiter for the 2026 recruiting class in the spring and presents a strong message.

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“I look at these high schools and it’s like, ‘You love your family, you love your home, why not stay here for college?” Lockhart told 247Sports. “I talk a lot with the coaches and [Chad] Bowden about the recruiting board and who we’d like to get. It’s a very simple approach. Why not stay home? Why not stay home and play for one of the best schools in the nation?"

“Kids are starting to realize, ‘If I do stay home, I could learn things so much quicker than going out to Alabama or wherever.’ You’d be so many more steps ahead of playing. The school [USC] is in your own backyard and you can go down there any time you want. You could learn the plays and watch practices before you even get there as a player. There are so many advantages to being able to play in your own backyard. Kids are realizing that. As you can see now, the class is insane,” Lockhart continued.

USC holds 15 commitments and boast the No. 1 ranked recruiting class according to every recruiting site. Nine of the Trojans commits come from the Golden State.

General manager Chad Bowden’s recruiting plan has been simple since he arrived in late January, recruit the best the state has to offer and bring them to USC.

“We are not going to take a backseat to any program in the country. We are going to be aggressive, thoughtful, and any time that someone recruits against us, they’re going to know they’re in for a fight," Bowden said.

Lockhart isn’t the only commit that has put on their recruiting hat, Santa Margarita (Calif.) four-star edge Simote Katoanga, Lincoln-Way East (Ill.) four-star quarterback Jonas Williams and Sierra Canyon (Calif.) three-star Madden Riordan have been vocal about actively recruiting top prospects in the 2026 cycle.

“Let’s change the narrative and build something special,” Katoanga said to USC Trojans On SI. “Let’s be the historical class that people will talk about for years to come that brought back a national championship to USC and LA.”

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