USC Trojans Commit Madden Riordan Recruiting 4-Star Receiver Madden Williams

St. John Bosco (Calif.) four-star receiver and Texas A&M commit Madden Williams is one of the most coveted pass catchers in the 2026 recruiting cycle. He is the No. 249 overall prospect and No. 40 receiver according to the On3 Industry Rankings.

Williams committed to the Aggies in December over Ohio State, Arizona State, Oregon, Penn State and Texas. At the time, the USC Trojans were not involved in Williams’ recruitment, but after extending an offer to him on March 25, the Trojans have quickly found themselves in the mix for the local prospect.

Sep 21, 2024; Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA; USC Trojans head coach Lincoln Riley on the sideline in the second half against the Michigan Wolverines at Michigan Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Rick Osentoski-Imagn Images | Rick Osentoski-Imagn Images

Williams was part of a stacked list of blue-chip recruits that made the trip to Los Angeles on Saturday as the Trojans wrapped up their second week of spring practice. So, USC commit Madden Riordan decided to make a last-minute visit to campus.

“Definitely one of my closer football friends, played against and with each other growing up and I’m pushing him as hard as the coaches. I came to practice just because I heard he was going," Riordan said.

Riordan is a Trojan through and through. The local recruit has been committed to USC since November 2023, his sophomore year. The Sierra Canyon (Calif.) product has been one of many members of the Trojans 2026 class that have put on their recruiting hat.

Several members of the St. John Bosco coaching staff were at practice last Thursday, including head coach Jason Negro, offensive coordinator Steven Lo, and cornerbacks coach Darnell Lacy. The Trojans have one commitment from the prominent California high school in three-star athlete Joshua Holland.

Riordan and the USC staff will continue to make a strong recruiting pitch for Williams as official visit season is fast approaching.

Trojans general manager Chad Bowden has put a priority on local prospects as USC's coaching staff pushes to build a fence around the state, the same way legendary coach Pete Carroll did during the program's heyday in the 2000s. That means having to make up some ground for some blue-chip recruits in their backyard.

“History repeats itself. It always does, and if you look into fine details of how programs are built and how the place is built and when success has happened, that was a key part of USC being at the top. My plan and my vision is to bring that back and to take care of this state. The state deserves it," Bowden said.

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The Trojans were successful last week in flipping another highly touted prospect from the Trinity League, Mater Dei (Calif.) four-star defensive lineman Tomuhini Topui, who was also on campus Saturday.

Riordan and Topui were just a couple of USC commits that were to campus this weekend. Rancho Cucamonga (Calif.) four-star cornerback RJ Sermons, Lincoln-Way East (Ill.) four-star quarterback Jonas Williams, Santa Margarita (Calif.) four-star EDGE Simote Katoanga and four-star receiver Trent Mosley and Cathedral Catholic (Calif.) three-star offensive tackle Chase Deniz also returned to Los Angeles.

The Trojans hosted an impressive list of uncommitted blue-chip recruits, headlined by Grayson (Ga.) five-star linebacker Tyler Atkinson, Sierra Canyon (Calif.) four-star cornerback Havon Finney, Mater Dei (Calif.) four-star receiver Kayden Dixon-Wyatt, Oaks Christian (Calif.) four-star cornerback Davon Benjamin, Duncanville (Texas) four-star edge Kevin Ford, Folsom (Calif.) three-star offensive tackle Vlad Dyakanov.

"Today was great. Being with all my close friends, commits, soon commits. I grew up with a lot of those guys, so every time on campus is amazing," Riordan told USC on SI's Kendell Hollowell.

USC holds 20 commitments in their No. 1 ranked recruiting class for the 2026 cycle, with 13 being from Southern California. The Trojans have targeted recruits that are within a 60–70-mile radius of campus, which has paid dividends.

"We are from California but most the commits are from the LA and OC area, so we have all known each other for years," Riordan said.

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