USC Trojans, Lincoln Riley Leading For Elite Tight End Recruit Luke Sorenson?

The USC Trojans's recruiting momentum continues as they pursue one of the best tight ends in the state of California. Three-star recruit Luke Sorenson had high praise for the Trojans' coaching staff after his most recent visit to USC this past week.

Apr 23, 2022; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Southern California Trojans coach Lincoln Riley during the spring game at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

The USC Trojans have been riding a big wave of momentum on the recruiting front. In the past week alone, the Trojans have picked up two key commitments from four-star running back Deshonne Redeaux and three-star wide receiver Kohen Brown.

USC coach Lincoln Riley has been hitting it out of the ballpark with in-state recruits and after hosting a bevy of visitors this past weekend, the Trojans are looking to keep the momentum rolling.

Sep 1, 2024; Paradise, Nevada, USA; Southern California Trojans head coach Lincoln Riley reacts in the first half against the LSU Tigers at Allegiant Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

The Trojans hosted three-star tight end Luke Sorenson on an unofficial visit on April 3 and offered him the same day. The No. 33 tight end in the 2026 recruiting cycle according to 247Sports, Sorenson currently holds offers from Alabama, Texas A&M, and Miami among others.

Sorenson spoke with On3 about what it means to be offered by his hometown team.

“The offer is huge for me. I grew up a USC fan and my mom and uncle are alumni of the school. The offensive talent and the offensive coaching staff that they have are hard to pass up. The offer puts USC near or at the top for me, for sure. They will be hard to beat," Sorenson said.

After unofficially visiting the Trojans, Sorenson said that he agreed to spend one of his official visits sometime in the summer.

“I will take an official visit to USC, but the date is still being finalized. I will also be at multiple USC practices this spring. What’s most important to me is how a program develops players, the atmosphere and the team culture,” Sorenson said. 

Currently, Sorenson has official visits scheduled with UCLA, Texas A&M, Miami, Penn State, Texas, and Nebraska.

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Dec 27, 2023; San Diego, CA, USA; Southern California Trojans head coach Lincoln Riley reacts in the second half against the Louisville Cardinals during the Holiday Bowl at Petco Park. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

USC underwent a coaching change in the tight end room when the former position coach Zach Hanson got promoted to offensive line coach following Josh Henson's departure to Purdue to become offensive coordinator.

Following Hanson's promotion, Riley announced the hiring of Colorado State's Chad Savage as the tight ends/inside receivers coach. Savage is an impactful hiring that brings impressive recruiting chops to the offensive coaching staff.

The tight ends in Riley's offense haven't exactly been the most targeted position on the offense, but the starter, Lake McRee, was shaping up to have a career year prior to an injury in the Trojans' Week 4 loss vs. Michigan.

McRee ultimately ended up only hauling in 24 receptions for 245 yards after missing four games due to the lower leg injury.

USC didn't recruit the position at all in the 2025 cycle. In fact, Riley and the Trojans only offered seven tight ends in the entire class. The last time USC signed a tight end was during the 2024 recruiting cycle where the Trojans signed two tight ends, four-star Walter Matthews and three-star Joey Olsen.