USC Coach Trovon Reed Pulls Back the Curtain on His Recruiting Strategy

When Mater Dei (Calif.) four-star cornerback Danny Lang announced his pledge to USC in late March, the local star made it clear the reason he chose his hometown school was because of cornerbacks coach Trovon Reed.

The Trojans coach has established himself as one of the premier recruiters in college football since he was hired last January. And when USC made changes to its defensive staff this offseason, one coach they made sure to retain was Reed.

USC Trojans Recruiting Class Trovon Reed Spring Practice Lincoln Riley Chad Bowden Elbert Hill NIL RJ Sermons Transfer — Aug 26, 2023; Los Angeles, California, USA; Southern California Trojans head coach Lincoln Riley watches game action against the San Jose State Spartans during the first half at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images | Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images

While most of the discussion around recruiting revolves around NIL, Reed is one of many coaches on the Trojans staff that has shown the value on building genuine relationships throughout the process. It’s particularly important as a position coach because they are the person a recruit will spend the most time with during their college career and the person parents have entrusted to help develop their son into a young man off the field.

Reed expressed why building those relationships is so important to him during USC’s Media Brunch.

“Because that’s all I wanted my whole life. I was raised by a single mother, dad was never around,” Reed said. “I always got everything off of relationships, off of just being a good person, and I recruit those kind of guys. I like to build genuine, real relationships to whether you come here or not, I'm still rooting for you.

“If I cut the TV on one day, we got a bye week and I'm watching, you better be out there doing exactly what we talked about during recruiting, holding it down, making plays, going first round, everything you told me you dreamed of. I'm blessed to be in this position. That's my way, and I'm gonna continue to do it that way.”

Stacking Recruiting Classes in the Secondary

USC Trojans Lincoln Riley Early Enrollee Spring Practice Elbert Rock Hill Trovon Reed Recruiting Rankings Class Freshman — USC Trojans freshman cornerback Elbert Hill | USC Trojans on SI

Reed immediately made noise on the trail last spring when he landed Elbert “Rock” Hill from Ohio, the No. 1 cornerback in the 2026 class, per ESPN. He flipped Santa Margarita (Calif.) cornerback Jayden Crowder from Cal last fall and signed four-star safety Peyton Dyer.

And then in the transfer portal, Reed signed Jontez Williams, the No. 1 cornerback in the portal. Four-star cornerback Brandon Lockhart was already committed to USC when Reed joined the staff and is also part of the 2026 class. Redshirt freshman RJ Sermons was originally the No. 1 cornerback in the 2026 cycle, but chose to reclassify last summer to get a head start working with Reed.

It has created an intriguing position battle at cornerback for USC. Redshirt sophomore Marcelles Williams started 11 games in 2025, and redshirt sophomore Chasen Johnson returns after missing almost the entirety of last season with a knee injury.

In addition to landing a commitment from Lang, Reed also picked up one from IMG Academy (Fla.) four-star Aaryn “J.O.” Washington in the 2027 class, two top 100 recruits. And with recruiting starting to pickup in the 2028 class, Reed has made a lasting impression, particularly with a deep and talented cornerback class in Southern California.

Collaborative Effort in Recruiting

USC Trojans Lincoln Riley Recruiting Class Trovon Reed Danny Lang Mater Dei Aaryn Washington — USC Trojans cornerbacks coach Trovon Reed | @Khollowell_

After landing the No. 1 class in the 2026 cycle, the Trojans have been on a heater again in the 2027 class and are making a strong push for a second consecutive top five finish.

It’s been the product of a revamped recruiting/personnel department that models an NFL front office and quickly established themselves as one of the best in college football. USC has group of assistant coaches that have the same approach as Reed on the trail.

Recruiting has resembled that of the programs heyday in the 2000s. Pipelines have built in Southern California and once again Southern Cal is the preeminent recruiting force in their state. The Trojans have also made waves landing blue-chip prospects from across the country.

“We’re not scared of nobody. That's the mindset. We respect all, we fear none. And that's how we recruit,” Reed said. “That's the kind of players we recruit, because if we want SC to be SC that we all know, that's how we got to do it. Hats off to everybody in this building. A lot of people don't get credit. They put on some capes on and do some hero stuff. It's from the top down. From Chad to Lincoln and everybody around here. We hungry, we feel it, it’s right there.”

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