Why USC Recruit Jaimeon Winfield Deserves His Five-Star Rating

USC freshman defensive lineman Jaimeon Winfield earned his fifth star in the final Rivals rankings that were released on Tuesday.

The Richardson (Texas) product checks in as the No. 11 overall prospect, No. 2 defensive lineman and No. 2 player in the state, per Rivals' latest update. He is one of the prized recruits in the Trojans top-ranked recruiting class in the 2026 cycle.

USC Trojans Recruit Recruiting Class Five Star Luke Wafle Kayden Dixon-Wyatt All-American Jaimeon Winfield Chad Bowden — Nov 7, 2025; Los Angeles, California, USA; Southern California Trojans head coach Lincoln Riley watches game action against the Northwestern Wildcats during the second half at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images | Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images

Winfield put together a dominant senior season in the Lone Star State and carried that over into a fantastic week of practice at the Navy All-American Bowl earlier this month. He looked like a man amongst boy while facing some of the top high school talent in the country.

USC fought off several schools in Winfield’s home state, most notably, Texas and Texas A&M to land a commitment from the five-star recruit. They continued to fend off the SEC schools throughout the fall and it’s not hard to see why they didn’t want him to leave the state.

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At 6-foot-3 and 325 pounds, Winfield is an immediate contributor for the Trojans. He’s quick and powerful off the snap. Winfield can be a disrupter in the run game and provide a pass rush from the interior.

USC is in desperate need of help on the interior of defense. The addition of Winfield in the 2026 class greatly impacted what the Trojans did in the transfer portal. They landed one player in Michigan State transfer Alex VanSumeren.

The Trojans are invested figuratively and literally in Winfield. USC also landed Mater Dei (Calif.) four-star defensive lineman Tomuhini Topui, another freshman expected to find a spot in the rotation from day one.

Rising USC Freshman in Final Rankings

Hun School (N.J.) five-star edge Luke Wafle finished as the No. 1 overall recruit in the Rivals Rankings. Wafle was also down at the Navy All-American Bowl and walked away as the top performer all week.

In the game, Wafle recorded three sacks and three tackles for loss, which earned him MVP honors. This comes after the New Jersey native registered a mind blowing 99 tackles, including 37 for loss and 23 sacks in his senior season. Wafle will step in and immediate help the Trojans front four.

Oaks Christian (Calif.) four-star Deshonne Redeaux checked in as the No. 4 running back, and will be joined by Harvey (Ohio) four-star Shahn Alston, No. 8 running back.

Folsom (Calif.) four-star offensive tackle Vlad Dyakonov was a fast riser in the spring and continued to climb in the final rankings. He is the No. 44 overall prospect and No. 7 offensive tackle. Dyakonov was another standout at the Navy All-American Bowl.

Mater Dei (Calif.) four-star receiver Kayden Dixon-Wyatt is the No. 35 overall prospect and No. 5 receiver, per Rivals. His former high school and now college teammate, five-star Mark Bowman, is the No. 2 tight end. Cornerback Elbert Hill also finished as a top 100 overall recruit.

Rising USC Freshman in Final Rankings

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