USC Signed A Receiver Who Could Change Everything As A Freshman

The USC Trojans’ No. 1 ranked 2026 recruiting class features 32 early signees as position battles begin. New receiver Trent Mosley, the 2025 MaxPreps High School Player of the Year, has the potential to make an immediate impact as a freshman.

Dec 27, 2024; Las Vegas, NV, USA; Southern California Trojans head coach Lincoln Riley reacts against the Texas A&M Aggies in the second half at Allegiant Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

The USC Trojans 2026 recruiting class is just a month out from donning the Cardinal and Gold, for 32 of their 35 signees. Especially with a larger signing class, and majority enrolling in the spring, the posiiton battles will only intensify.

With a few USC Trojans declaring for the 2026 NFL Draft, including wide receiver Ja'Kobi Lane, tight end Lake McRee and safety Kamari Ramsey, the Trojans early enrollees pave a path for the future lineup, and a chance to see the field in their first collegiate seasons. One early enrollee who's turned heads is wide receiver Trent Mosley.

Trent Mosley Awarded MaxPreps California High School Player Of The Year

Nov 7, 2025; Los Angeles, California, USA; Southern California Trojans head coach Lincoln Riley watches game action against the Northwestern Wildcats during the second half at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images | Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images

Mosley was awarded as the MaxPreps High School Player of the year. The award comes just days after Mosley, forner USC quarterback Carson Palmer and Santa Margarita Catholic High School clinched the CIF Open Division Title on Dec. 13, defeating then-undefeated De La Salle 47-13.

Against a talented De La Salle team, Mosley capped off the championship win with 11 catches for 183 yards and three total touchdowns. His monster performance also comes days after signing with USC, and has caught the attention of coach Lincoln Riley.

Trent Mosley named 2025 MaxPreps California High School Football Player of the Year. 🔥🏈

Full story ⬇️https://t.co/7rTBrJxCzj pic.twitter.com/bUPgUd4IC9

— MaxPreps (@MaxPreps) December 16, 2025

"He was somebody we targeted very early on. Just thought (he) was super, super impressive and it was important. We thought he was one of the best receivers in the country and he's proven that," Riley said after Monday's practice. "Obviously came back off injury this year and had a really, really good close to his season, then winning the state title obviously he just played out of his mind."

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Recruited heavily by Riley and tight ends/inside receivers coach Chad Savage, Mosley is a four-star recruit and the No. 27 recruit in the state of California. Now, with his recent honors as Player of the year, the 5-foot-11 receiver could fill into Riley's nicely, similar to how wide receiver Makai Lemon did.

What Mosley Brings To Riley's Offense, Wide Receiver Room

Sep 27, 2025; Champaign, Illinois, USA; Southern California Trojans head coach Lincoln Riley before an NCAA football game with the Illinois Fighting Illini at Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Ron Johnson-Imagn Images | Ron Johnson-Imagn Images

While Mosley is no towering six-foot wide receiver threat, like Lane was, however, he brings the same characteristics, athletically and physically that Lemon did. Lemon’s build at 5-foot-11, 195 pounds still made him dangerous, as his catch radius consistently showed up on every reception, while his dominant yards-after-catch ability separated him from defenders.

4⭐️ USC commit Trent Mosley SNAPPED in Santa Margarita’s (CA) 47-13 win over De La Salle to win the CIF Open Division state title Sunday 👀🔥

• 11 catches
• 183 receiving yards
• 3 totals TDs

The Trojans got a gem 💎 pic.twitter.com/LK9mjI66fZ

— SportsCenter NEXT (@SCNext) December 15, 2025

Especially against De La Salle, Mosley left it all on the field, from receiving direct snaps to breaking tackles at the goal line to making defenders miss, Mosley presents a real threat despite his smaller build.

With both Lane and most likely Lemon out for the NFL Draft, and considering wide receiver Tanook Hines could shift into WR1, two open receiver positions are, for the most part, up for grabs. Alongside Mosley comes four star wide receivers Luc Weaver, Kayden Dixon-Wyatt and Ethan "Boobie" Feaster.

Nov 29, 2025; Los Angeles, California, USA; Southern California Trojans quarterback Jayden Maiava (14) carries the ball against the UCLA Bruins in the first half at United Airlines Field at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

Since quarterback Jayden Maiava has officially re-signed with USC for the 2026 season, the attraction to play for him, who threw passes to a Biletnikoff winner in Lemon all season, could very well draw a veteran receiver from the transfer portal. Now that Trojan fans have seen what general manager Chad Bowden can do with high school recruiting, imagine what he can do with a transfer portal to target areas of need next season.

USC closes out their regular season with one final matchup against TCU Horned Frogs in the Alamo Bowl on Dec. 30 at 6 p.m. PT