USC Trojans Bolster Young Cornerback Room with Elite Recruits

The USC Trojans were active on the recruiting trail to bring an impressive class at cornerback, headlined by Archbishop Hoban (Ohio) five-star Elbert Hill and Sierra Canyon (Calif.) four-star Brandon Lockhart.

Archbishop Hoban's Elbert 'Roc' Hill IV runs with the ball in the first half of a football game against Central York at Panthers Stadium on Oct. 18, 2024, in Springettsbury Township. | Dan Rainville / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

USC overcame some early struggles in its cornerback room and saw a much-improved group the second half of the season. 

DeCarlos Nicholson is out of eligibility and Braylon Conley will enter the transfer portal when it opens at the beginning of January. Nicholson started all 11 games for the Trojans this season, while Conley started two. 

However, cornerbacks coach Trovon Reed and secondary coach Doug Belk were active on the recruiting trail and USC signed an impressive group of cornerbacks to help bolster the room in 2026 and moving forward.

Adding Young Talent in 2026 Class 

Archbishop Hoban's Elbert 'Roc' Hill IV runs with the ball in the first half of a football game against Central York at Panthers Stadium on Oct. 18, 2024, in Springettsbury Township. | Dan Rainville / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Archbishop Hoban (Ohio) five-star Elbert Hill is one of the crown jewels of the Trojans recruiting class. USC went all-on landing the top-ranked player in Ohio this calendar year and were successful in bringing him out west. 

Hill was phenomenal in his senior season, recording nine interceptions. A two-way star with impressive technique for someone his age, Hill is definitely a name to keep an eye on in the spring and fall camp to earn playing time. 

“His feet and instincts are super special,” said USC safety signee Madden Riordan. “He’s a special corner. He does a lot of things that you see in the NFL and college that projects. His hips, feet and ball skills.” 

Hoban’s Elbert Hill IV (1) makes a leaping interception as St. Edward's Zach Hackleman (8) goes for the catch, Oct. 24, 2025, at Dowed Field in Akron, Ohio. | Andrew Dolph / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Sierra Canyon (Calif.) four-star Brandon Lockhart burst onto the national scene as a freshman at Loyola (Calif.), located just a couple of miles from USC’s campus, and he committed to Southern Cal over two years ago when he was a sophomore. 

Lockhart joined Riordan at Sierra Canyon for his senior season, after the two played on the same 7v7 team in eighth, ninth and 10th grade. At 6-2, Lockhart is long and highly competitive cornerback that can definitely make some noise when he arrives on campus.

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Riordan described Peyton Dyer as a “physical and versatile" player. The Georgia native transferred to Tyner Academy (Tenn.) for his senior year and could be someone that blossoms into a safety at USC, as Riordan is the only safety the Trojans signed in the 2026 class. Riordan, Lockhart and Dyer will all live together as freshmen.

Joshua Holland is also someone that could also turn into a safety at USC, if he doesn’t stay at corner. He has a receiver background to pair with natural coverage instincts and 6-2 frame. The St. John Bosco (Calif.) product is an incredible athlete, and his position versatility will be valuable for the Trojans defense.

“His hands and ball skills are very good,” Riordan said. “He knows how to play the ball and stay in position.” 

USC continued to recruit the position in the fall and targeted Santa Margarita (Calif.) three-star Jayden Crowder. He picked up an offer when he visited USC to watch them defeat Michigan on Oct. 11 and flipped his commitment from Cal to the Trojans later that month. Crowder is one of three recruits from the CIF-SS Division 1 champions to sign with USC, joining four-star edge Simote Katoanga and receiver Trent Mosley.

Returning Cornerbacks in 2026

Nov 1, 2025; Lincoln, Nebraska, USA; Southern California Trojans cornerback Marcelles Williams (25) breaks up a pass to Nebraska Cornhuskers wide receiver Nyziah Hunter (13) during the fourth quarter at Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Dylan Widger-Imagn Images | Dylan Widger-Imagn Images

Redshirt freshman Marcelles Williams took over a full-time starter in week 3 held onto that position for the rest of this season. The St. John Bosco product showed a steady progression throughout the season and prime to make a leap in 2026. According to Pro Football Focus, Williams ranked first in the conference in pass breakups and second in forced incompletions among all Big Ten true and redshirt freshman cornerbacks.

Sophomore Chasen Johnson will be back in 2026 after being limited to just two games early in the season because of a knee injury. The UCF transfer started four games as a true freshman for the Knights in 2024 under Reed.

The name that will generate a ton of buzz is freshman RJ Sermons. The former five-star cornerback reclassified from the 2026 to the 2025 class over the summer and arrived on campus just before the start of fall camp. Sermons has used his first season on campus as a development year. He traveled to every road game when he was healthy to get acclimated to the college game. Sermons just turned 18 last month.

The Rancho Cucamonga (Calif.) product is about as comfortable of a player on an island as you'll find for someone his age. He's a technician at the position with great speed, winning the CIF-SS Division 1 Final in the 100 and 200-meter as a junior. It will be hard to keep him off the field another year.

Former four-star cornerback Trestin Castro saw limited snaps in each of the Trojans blowout wins in week 1 and 2 this season as a true freshman.

It's a very young, but extremely talented position group and certainly be a competition to monitor all the way leading up to the start of the 2026 season.