USC Trojans Prioritizing Top California Recruits For Second Straight Cycle

The USC Trojans have been pushing to land one of the top in-state wide receivers in the 2027 recruiting cycle in four-star recruit Quentin Hale. Despite mutual interest with the Trojans, the California native wants to evaluate all his options.

Aug 30, 2025; Los Angeles, California, USA; Southern California Trojans head coach Lincoln Riley reacts during the game against the Missouri State Bears at United Airlines Field at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

The USC Trojans have been in the driver's seat for one of their top wide receiver targets in the 2027 recruiting cycle.

Four-star wide receiver Quentin Hale has been high on USC for quite some time, but the highly-touted prospect has seen a new wave of suitors come into his recruitment.

Trojans Soaring In Hale's Recruitment

Aug 30, 2025; Los Angeles, California, USA; Southern California Trojans head coach Lincoln Riley reacts after the game against the Missouri State Bears at United Airlines Field at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

Hale spoke with Rivals about his recruitment and included USC as one of the top contenders for his commitment, but added that his recruitment is far from a done deal.

“USC is still definitely up there in my recruitment, don’t get me wrong, but there are a lot of teams coming on strong and there are a lot of good programs that are showing me and telling me the plan they have for me including SC," Hale said.

The No. 9 wide receiver and No. 58 player in the country according to 247Sports' Rankings, Hale is the top ranked wide receiver in the state of California.

He holds 24 offers with Nebraska, Notre Dame, and Georgia being among the many programs to offer him this offseason. Hale had only four offers at the end of his sophomore season and landed 20 offers over the offseason as his recruitment exploded.

Although plenty of other programs are pushing hard for Hale's pledge, Rivals' Recruiting Prediction Machine gives USC the edge in Hale's recruitment. The Trojans have a 31.3 percent chance of landing the California native.

SEC Programs Pushing For Hale

Aug 30, 2025; Tallahassee, Florida, USA; Alabama Crimson Tide head coach Kalen DeBoer looks on against the Florida State Seminoles during the second half at Doak S. Campbell Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Melina Myers-Imagn Images | Melina Myers-Imagn Images

Despite being in the their backyard, USC will have to put up a fight for Hale's commitment. He listed Alabama and Texas as two schools he would like to visit prior to making a final decision in his recruitment, per Rivals.

Hale plans to be on the road plenty of times during the season as he looks to learn more about each program he's interested in. Expect Hale to visit with all three programs sometime in the near future.

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2027 Wide Receiver Targets

Aug 30, 2025; Los Angeles, California, USA; Southern California Trojans head coach Lincoln Riley watches from the sidelines against the Missouri State Bears in the first half at United Airlines Field at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

In addition to Hale, the Trojans have been in the mix for a handful of wide receiver recruits in the 2027 cycle.

Four-star wide receiver Zerek Sidney is high on the Trojans. The Arizona native is also interested in the in-state Arizona State Sun Devils. Rivals' RPM gives the Sun Devils the slight edge in his recruitment with a 45 percent chance of landing the in-state recruit. USC is right behind with a 20 percent chance.

USC has also targeted four-star wide receiver Damani Warren in the 2027 cycle. He ranks as the No. 13 wide receiver and No. 92 player in the country according to 247Sports' rankings.