Three Interesting Stats Behind USC Trojans Recruiting Class

The USC Trojans flexed their recruiting muscles in the class of 2026, landing the No. 1 class in the country and adding key pieces like five-star tight end Mark Bowman, four-star wide receiver Kayden Dixon-Wyatt, five-star defensive lineman Luke Wafle, four-star quarterback Jonas Williams, and more.

Trojans coach Lincoln Riley and his staff brought in 35 recruits in the class of 2026, and the class of 2027 is on the smaller side as a result. Still, in a class of 14, USC has one of the best group of incoming recruits in the nation.

usc trojans recruiting class interesting stats lincoln riley chad bowden mater dei california local high school honor johnson — USC Trojans freshman tight end Mark Bowman | USC Trojans on SI

Here are three stats about the Trojans' recruiting class that stand out.

64 Percent California Recruits

With 9 out of 14 of USC's commits coming from California, the Trojans continue to build their roster with a majority of local kids while supplementing each recruiting class with national prospects like five-star EDGE Mekai Brown.

Five-star athlete Honor Fa'alave-Johnson is expected to focus on defense when he arrives on campus, but USC's coaching staff does plan to teach the talented recruit some offensive packages. He headlines the group of California recruits committed to the Trojans, but USC hit all of the local schools.

Four-star defensive back Danny Lang strengthens the Mater Dei pipeline, while other schools like Servite (four-star offensive line Drew Fielder), St. John Bosco (three-star defensive back Josiah Poyer), Centennial (four-star wide receiver Quentin Hale), and more are represented in USC's recruiting class of 2027.

Two Five-Stars

The aforementioned five-stars, Fa'alave-Johnson and Brown, are the Trojans' two strongest candidates to make an early impact when they arrive on campus before the 2027 season. According to the Rivals Industry Ranking, Fa'alave-Johnson is the No. 12 overall player in the country, and Brown is ranked No. 27 overall in the nation.

Most high-profile recruits enroll early in order to give themselves more time to adjust to the college game, and seeing how USC's 2026 recruiting class performs could give an idea as to how five-stars like Brown and Fa'alave-Johnson might perform. Former five-stars like tight end Mark Bowman and defensive lineman Luke Wafle are now freshmen at USC and looking to make an impact as early as 2026 as the Trojans make a push for the College Football Playoff.

Stacking elite recruiting classes means landing instant-impact prospects, and the Trojans have two with Fa'alave-Johnson as well as Brown. Meanwhile, both Hale and Lang are top-10 recruits from California, and both could see early playing time with USC.

91.57: Highest Player Average in the Country

Rankings are bound to change before the early signing period in December, but USC can expect to land a top class in the Big Ten, currently sitting at No. 4 in the conference and No. 13 overall, per Rivals.

The smaller number of commits doesn't help USC's overall ranking, but the Trojans have the country beat when it comes to quality of the class. According to 247Sports, USC sits at No. 1 with an average rating of 91.57, just ahead of LSU at 91.50.

When it comes to Rivals' rankings, the Trojans' have the fifth-highest average rating per recruit despite holding the No. 13 overall class.

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