USC Trojans' Recruiting Target Jalen Flowers Reveals Visits To Big Ten Foes

The USC Trojans will host a game day visit for three-star safety prospect Jalen Flowers on Sept. 6. Flowers will also have two other game day visits early in the season with Ohio State and Washington. Do the Trojans have an advantage with the top-ranked recruiting class?

Dec 27, 2023; San Diego, CA, USA; Southern California Trojans head coach Lincoln Riley reacts in the second half against the Louisville Cardinals during the Holiday Bowl at Petco Park. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

The USC Trojans have built one of the nation's best recruiting classes for the 2026 cycle. The Trojans have 32 total commits in their No. 1 ranked 2026 class and are primed to turn things around with coach Lincoln Riley and become one of the top programs in college football once again.

While much of the attention has been on the Trojans' 2026 recruiting class, USC has started to shift its attention to its prospects for the 2027 and 2028 classes. Early this season, the Trojans are set to host a game-day visit for one of their top prospects for the 2028 class, three-star safety Jalen Flowers.

Flowers' Visits

Dec 27, 2024; Las Vegas, NV, USA; Helmets at the line of scrimmage as Texas A&M Aggies long snapper Jacob Graham (48) snaps the ball against the Southern California Trojans Allegiant Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

USC will host Flowers on Sept. 6 for its Week 2 matchup against the former Trojans coach, Clay Helton, and the Georgia Southern Eagles. The safety team from Palos Verdes High School also has game-day visits to two other Big Ten schools, including Ohio State on August 30 and Washington on September 27, per 247Sports.

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Flowers has received several offers from various schools heading into his sophomore season of high school, including Arizona State, Arizona, Louisville, Oregon, Purdue, Syracuse, and Texas A&M, among others. Flowers would be a valuable addition to USC's defense for their 2028 recruiting class.

Palos Verdes (Calif.) class of 2028 safety Jalen Flowers plans to visit Ohio State, USC and Washington in the coming weeks, and also discussed the impact of his recent offer from Oregon: https://t.co/Fr5qCMBy68 pic.twitter.com/WL1t6kCq6e

— Blair Angulo (@BlairAngulo) August 25, 2025

With Flowers only heading into his sophomore season at Palos Verdes, there is still plenty of time for him to receive more offers from schools. Wherever Flowers ends up, he could be a key contributor on defense.

In his freshman season at Palos Verdes, Flowers also played on offense as a wide receiver, recording 14 receptions for 174 yards and a touchdown in 13 games played. On defense, he recorded 26 total tackles.

USC's Recruiting Is Heading In the Right Direction With Riley

Sep 28, 2024; Los Angeles, California, USA; Southern California Trojans head coach Lincoln Riley reacts after a game against the Wisconsin Badgers at United Airlines Field at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

While USC has had two-straight frustrating seasons with Riley as coach that featured five-plus loss seasons, their recruiting seems to be heading in the right direction. The important question, though, is can the impressive recruiting result in more wins and a return to USC competing for a National Championship, a goal that a majority of Trojans fans are striving for.

The Trojans currently have the No. 1-ranked recruiting class according to Rivals for the 2026 season and have gotten a jump start on the 2027 season, having made multiple offers.

USC fans would like nothing more than for Riley to lead the Trojans to a successful season in 2025 to have momentum going into 2026 with the nation's top recruiting class coming in. Many believe that a successful season for the Trojans this year is at least 9-3 and competing for a spot in the College Football Playoff.

Dec 27, 2024; Las Vegas, NV, USA; Southern California Trojans head coach Lincoln Riley holds the championship trophy after the game against the Texas A&M Aggies at Allegiant Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

Anything short of that would be a major disappointment for Trojans fans, and Riley could find himself without a coaching job. In terms of this season's incoming recruiting class, the Trojans ranked 15th with 25 total commits, including 15 three stars and nine four stars. The Trojans' lone five-star was Centennial quarterback Husan Longstreet.