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USC Trojans Secondary Coach Doug Belk Ranked Top Recruiter In College Football

The USC Trojans have been on a recruiting tear since the end of the season. The Trojans have found a early success in the 2026 recruiting cycle, and USC secondary coach Doug Belk is currently named as the top recruiter in the country for his efforts.

Gabriel Duarte

Dec 2, 2022; Las Vegas, NV, USA; Southern California Trojans head coach Lincoln Riley reacts in the first half of the Pac-12 Championship against the Utah Utes at Allegiant Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images
Dec 2, 2022; Las Vegas, NV, USA; Southern California Trojans head coach Lincoln Riley reacts in the first half of the Pac-12 Championship against the Utah Utes at Allegiant Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images / Kirby Lee-Imagn Images
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The USC Trojans have been picking up momentum on the recruiting front. Not only do the Trojans own the No. 3 recruiting class in the 2026 cycle according to 247Sports, but the recruiting site also has a USC assistant coach as the top recruiter in the entire country.

247Sports currently has USC secondary coach Doug Belk listed as the No. 1 recruiter in the country for the class of 2026, sitting in front of Oregon's Tony Tuioti and Auburn's D.J. Durkin. Belk has been a key figure in the rise of USC's recruiting efforts.

With strong recruiting ties to the southeastern part of the country, Belk's ability to recruit some of the nation's hottest recruiting beds has paid dividends for the Trojans.

Belk is credited as the main recruiter in the recruitsments of two prospects in the class of 2025. He helped bring in two four-star defensive backs in safety Kendarius Reddick and cornerback Trestin Castro. Belk showcased his ability to recruit nationwide as Reddick hails from Georgia and Castro from Southern California.

The momentum rolled into the 2026 recruiting cycle and allowed Belk to reel in a couple of defensive backs. He helped lead the recruitments for two four-star corners in RJ Sermons and Brandon Lockhart and a three-star cornerback in Joshua Holland.

After USC's Junior Day on Feb.8, Lockhart told 247Sports nothing but good things about the Trojans' defensive back coach.

"Coach Belk is a great guy," Lockhart said. "I like that when I talk with him, it's not always about football. If you look at what he's doing with this 2026 class of DBs in California, it's great and you love to see it."

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USC defensive coordinator D'Anton Lynn and Belk have been leading the way in the recruitment for 2026 five-star Brandon Arrington. The defensive back from Mount Miguel High School spoke with 247Sports about the Trojans' approach to recruiting him.

"They're recruiting me for defense and just watching the defense do what they do was important for me. USC is high on my list and, just talking to the coaching staff, I can tell the Trojans want me bad," Arrington said. "I see the love from them. Both coach D'Anton Lynn and coach Doug Belk are recruiting me."

The Trojans are in hot pursuit of another defensive back in the 2026 cycle in four-star Elbert Hill. After spending time on campus on a visit to USC, Hill raved to 247Sports about Belk.

"I was with coach Belk, and as we were going through film, he showed me a couple of my clips and then showed me some of their clips and talked about how he pictured me fitting in with their defense. And I just really looked at that a lot. They definitely see me playing a big role in their defense if I were to choose USC," Hill said.

Although it's still relatively early in the recruiting cycle, USC is in a great chance to land their highest-ranked class in the Lincoln Riley era. If Belk, Lynn, and the rest of the Trojans' coaching staff continue to recruit at the high pace, USC will undoubtedly be in the conversation for the top class in the cycle.

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Gabriel Duarte
GABRIEL DUARTE

Residing in Los Angeles, Gabriel Duarte is a senior at Cal State Northridge and is pursuing a degree in broadcast journalism. Gabriel is passionate about college athletics and is a writer for USC Trojans on SI and Oregon Ducks on SI. Gabriel has covered many college sporting events around the Southern California area including basketball and football for USC. Gabriel also writes for his local newspaper on high school sports.

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