USC Trojans To Land Another Elite Defensive Lineman Recruit From New Jersey?

The USC Trojans made a big splash this summer when they landed Hun School (N.J.) five-star EDGE Luke Wafle over schools such as Ohio State, Penn State and Florida in the 2026 cycle.

Wafle, the No. 1 overall recruit from New Jersey, only visited USC twice, with the first time being in April, but those two trips made a lasting impression on the highly sought-after prospect.

USC Trojans Strong Impression Elite Defensive Lineman Recruit Lincoln Riley Recruiting Big Ten Luke Wafle Carter Blattner — Oct 21, 2023; Los Angeles, California, USA; Southern California Trojans head coach Lincoln Riley watches from the sidelines against the Utah Utes in the first half at United Airlines Field at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

The Trojans have their eyes on another talented defensive lineman from the Garden State in the 2027 cycle, Northern Highlands (N.J.) four-star Carter Blattner.

Blattner picked up an offer from USC in late May and was in Los Angeles this summer for one of the Trojans camps. The two have been in constant communication and similar to Wafle, USC has caught the eye of Blattner in just a short amount of time.

Defensive line coach Eric Henderson has been Blattner’s primary recruiter early in the process and will continue building a relationship as several other Big Ten and ACC programs start to become more involved.

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Defensive line figures to be one of Southern Cal’s biggest strengths this fall. A combination of returning players, transfer portal additions and a strong freshman class, will give defensive coordinator D’Anton Lynn a deep and talented unit in the trenches.

They have also assembled an impressive recruiting class on the defensive front in the 2026 cycle, headlined by five players in the top 200 overall prospects, according to the 247Sports Rankings, Wafle, four-star defensive linemen Jaimeon Winfield and Tomuhini Topui and four-star EDGES Simote Katoanga and Braeden Jones.

Henderson and defensive ends coach Shaun Nua have been aggressive on the recruiting trail. In total, the Trojans hold a commitment from eight players on the defensive front.

USC learned very quickly a year ago, just how important it is to have a dominant defensive front in the Big Ten. So, Henderson and Nua will continue to have the same recruiting approach in the 2027 cycle.

Three local prospects will be high priority targets, Sierra Canyon (Calif.) four-star defensive lineman Kasi Currie, Inglewood (Calif.) four-star defensive lineman Elija Harmon and Tustin (Calif.) four-star defensive lineman Jon Ioane.

IMG Academy (Fla.) five-star EDGE Zyron Forstall, the No. 6 overall recruit, is the name to keep an eye on. Forstall is from New Orleans, the same hometown as Henderson. And because the Trojans landed a different blue-chip defensive lineman from New Orleans in the 2025 cycle, five-star freshman defensive lineman Jahkeem Stewart.

Forstall was on campus in April and then had an extended stay in Los Angeles in June, which included working out in front of the USC coaching staff at one of the camps. He plans to return sometime in the fall.

Stephenson (Ga.) four-star EDGE KJ Green also worked out at USC this summer and will make the trip out west again for a game. Henderson has visited the blue-chip prospect a couple of times at his school this calendar year.

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