USC Football: True Freshman's Early Success Sparks Trojans Recruiting Momentum

Recruiting is the most important part of building a college athletic team. It can be the difference between a good and great team. The best head coaches also have a skill in recruiting, as they can sell their vision for the program to a prospective athlete.

For the USC Trojans, they have one of the best recruiters in all of college football leading their program. Head coach Lincoln Riley has turned himself into a top recruiter, and the allure of playing for USC doesn’t hurt either.

With Riley in the mix, USC has seen an abundance of talent enter the program, and it should only continue to grow. But having the right pieces in place isn’t the only factor when it comes to decisions from the potential players. The success on the field plays into everything as well.

Players want to go to a school where they feel they will get playing time and win. USC can offer perspective players both of these factors, making them a very interesting team right now.

It seems that the Trojans success on the field in their first game of the season against San Jose State has helped them land a 2026 recruit.

USC got a commitment from wide receiver Ja’Myron Baker after he saw what freshman wide receiver Zachariah Branch was able to do on the field. It was both that and the fact that he wanted to stay at home.

Has Zachariah Branch's early success already lead to a commitment for USC? Indeed it has!

New 2026 USC WR commit Ja'Myron Baker told @On3USC that Branch's immediate success and staying home were big factors in his decision.

WeAreSC: https://t.co/dS5Hbmjd8K pic.twitter.com/zltlUUkv0C
— Marshall Levenson (@MarshallRivals) September 5, 2023

Branch has already made a contribution both on and off the field for the Trojans. He was special in his first game with USC, something that Baker probably envisioned for himself down the line.

It's a cool thing for the Trojans to have this pull with prospective prospects. It means that something is working well within the program, and should only grow as the team prepares for their move to the Big-10 Conference next season.