UCLA in Heavy Pursuit of USC 4-Star Recruiting Target

USC Trojans recruiting target Lincoln Lincoln Fa’alafi is being pursued by USC’s crosstown rival, the UCLA Bruins.

Lincoln Fa’alafi on USC, UCLA

USC Trojans Recruiting Class of 2028 Four-Star Recruit Offensive Tackle Lincoln Fa’alafi UCLA Bruins Rivals Big Ten College — Nov 29, 2025; Los Angeles, California, USA; UCLA Bruins interim coach Tim Skipper (left) shakes hands with Southern California Trojans head coach Lincoln Riley after the game at United Airlines Field at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

Lincoln Fa’alafi is a 6-7, 350 pound offensive tackle out of Rancho Santa Margarita, California. He is rated as a four-star recruit and ranked as the No. 3 offensive tackle in the class of 2028 according to 247Sports.

USC offered Fa’alafi back in November of 2025. He went on an unofficial visit to USC in March of 2026. Over the weekend, Fa’alafi visited UCLA during their spring game. While he was there, he caught up with Greg Biggins of Rivals to talk about where he stands in his recruitment process. He talked about USC.

“I like USC a lot and have a good relationship with multiple coaches on staff,” Fa’alafi said. “I visited for spring practice and loved it there. They have a great team coming back and I love the culture they’re building. My family was there too and they really liked it.”

Fa’alafi plays his high school football for JSerra Catholic, which is just about 50 miles away from the city of Los Angeles. This could give both USC and UCLA a step up in recruiting Fa’alafi over some other teams that aren’t as close in proximity to him.

Fa’alafi also talked more about his visit to UCLA, who seems to be moving up his list.

“They’re up there for sure,” Fa’alafi said. “I have a good connection with the coaching staff, especially coach Chesney and coach Smith and it’s still growing.”

Two Programs in Different Places

The USC Trojans and and UCLA Bruins are in completely different places as the 2026 college football season nears. USC is heading into year five under coach Lincoln Riley. Expectations have not been met to this point as USC has failed to make the College Football Playoff or win a conference title under Riley.

With a lot of returning talent and the No. 1 ranked 2026 recruiting class, expectations are high for USC in 2026. In 2025, they went 9-3 during the regular season. If they fail to make the playoff again, there will be some difficult questions to answer in the offseason.

UCLA on the other hand is under first year coach Bob Chesney after a disappointing 3-9 season. Former UCLA coach DeShaun Foster only lasted two seasons as the coach for UCLA in 2024 and 2025. The Bruins failed to make a bowl game in both seasons and lost to the rival Trojans both times they played them.

Chesney was previously the coach for the James Madison Dukes. In 2025, he led them to the College Football Playoff. That's a place that neither USC or UCLA have been.

The Bruins and Trojans will renew their rivalry at the Rose Bowl on Saturday, Nov. 28. Will USC remain with the upper hand in this matchup or will Chesney change things?

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