4-Star Recruit Jaimeon Winfield Locked In With USC Trojans, Shuts Down Recruitment

Richardson (Texas) four-star defensive lineman and USC Trojans commit Jaimeon Winfield has become the latest member of the No. 1 ranked recruiting class, according to 247Sports and Rivals, to publicly announce they are shutting down their recruitment. He will not be taking any visits elsewhere.

Winfield, the No. 66 overall prospect, the No. 8 defensive lineman in the country and the No. 9 recruit in Texas according to the 247Sports rankings committed to the Trojans on March 14 over offers from Texas, Alabama and Notre Dame.

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

USC was the first Division 1 school to offer Winfield a scholarship back in September. The 6-4, 290-pound Winfield has been a fast riser in the 2026 cycle after a dominate junior campaign, registering 45 tackles, including 22 tackles for a loss, 8.5 sacks, 25 quarterback pressures, three pass breakups and two blocked field goals, playing in the 6A division, the highest level of Texas football.

Winfield was most recently on campus on April 26 for the Trojan Olympics and will return on June 20 for his official visit.

USC has loaded up on the defensive line in the 2026 cycle, holding commitments from two other top 100 recruits in Santa Margarita (Calif.) four-star EDGE Simote Katoanga and Mater Dei (Calif.) four-star defensive lineman Tomuhini Topui, both of whom have also shut down their recruitment.

Katoanga committed to USC in February and has been incredibly active in recruiting other top Southern California prospects to join him in Los Angeles. He made a strong push for his teammate, four-star receiver Trent Mosley, who announced his pledge in early March. Mosley officially shut down his recruitment this week.

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Topui flipped his commitment from Oregon to USC on April 1. The local product was on campus every week, sometimes multiple times last month to attend spring practice. General manager Chad Bowden made it a priority to restore the Trojans pipeline with Mater Dei this offseason, and Topui helped kickstart it.

In addition to Winfield, Katoanga and Topui, USC holds commitments from Mount Carmel (Ill.) four-star EDGE Braeden Jones, Prosper (Texas) three-star defensive lineman Jake Johnson, Fremont (Calif.) three-star EDGE Andrew Williams and St. Pius X-St. Matthias Academy (Calif.) three-star defensive lineman Malik Brooks, who has also shut down his recruitment.

Other notable recruits that have announced they have shut down their recruitment include, IMG Academy (Calif.) five-star offensive tackle Keenyi Pepe, Loyola (Calif.) four-star cornerback Brandon Lockhart, Sierra Canyon (Calif.) three-star Madden Riordan and St. John Bosco (Calif.) three-star cornerback Joshua Holland.

The Trojans staff has been on the road recently, visiting multiple commits to ensure they keep their top-ranked recruiting class intact, including Archbishop Hoban (Ohio) five-star cornerback Elbert Hill, Oaks Christian (Calif.) four-star running back Deshonne Redeaux, Sherman Oaks (Calif.) four-star receiver Luc Weaver, Folsom (Calif.) four-star offensive tackle Vlad Dyakonov, Sierra Canyon (Calif.) three-star receiver Ja’Myron Baker, Valor Christian (Colo.) three-star offensive tackle Kannon Smith and San Diego (Calif.) Cathedral three-star offensive tackle Chase Deniz.

The 2026 early signing period is still over six months away and is this era of high school recruiting a lot can happen, but the Trojans feel confident about their ability to hold the No. 1 recruiting class.

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