USC Soars in Recruiting Rankings After Flipping Oregon Ducks Commit

The USC Trojans rise in the recruiting rankings after flipping a local four-star offensive lineman from the Oregon Ducks.

Sep 30, 2023; Boulder, Colorado, USA; USC Trojans head coach Lincoln Riley during the game against the Colorado Buffaloes at Folsom Field. Mandatory Credit: Chet Strange-Imagn Images | Chet Strange-Imagn Images

USC continues to stay hot on the recruiting trail. On Saturday, they flipped Servite (Calif.) four-star offensive tackle Drew Fielder from Oregon. He is the No. 81 overall prospect, No. 10 offensive tackle and No. 9 player in California, per 247Sports.

Fielder is the third recruit the Trojans have flipped from their West Coast rival in the last two cycles, joining freshmen quarterback Jonas Williams and defensive tackle Tomuhini “TomTom” Topui, who did so in the 2026 class. 

Sep 30, 2023; Boulder, Colorado, USA; USC Trojans head coach Lincoln Riley during the game against the Colorado Buffaloes at Folsom Field. Mandatory Credit: Chet Strange-Imagn Images | Chet Strange-Imagn Images

Fielder committed to Oregon in early February but an offer from his hometown school in late February gave him something to think about. He has strong family ties to Southern Cal, his grandfather and uncle won a national championship at USC in 1967, and his dad is also a USC alum.

The Trojans were building momentum for the local product throughout the month when he attended a practice in each of the first two weeks this spring. Fielder returned again on Saturday and made it official. 

With the latest news, USC moves up to No. 5 in the recruiting rankings, according to 247Sports and the Rivals Industry Rankings. After signing the No. 1 class in 2026, the Trojans are building another elite recruiting class in 2027.

Building a Fence Around Southern California 

Nov 16, 2024; Los Angeles, California, USA; Southern California Trojans head coach Lincoln Riley watches game action against the Nebraska Cornhuskers during the second half at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images | Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images

Fielder is USC's second big commitment this week in the 2027 class, joining Mater Dei (Calif.) four-star cornerback Danny Lang. The Trojans hosted the blue-chip recruit four times in a week span this month and landed his commitment on Wednesday night over Oregon and Ohio State. 

Lang will reunite with his former high school teammate, IMG Academy (Fla.) four-star cornerback Aaryn "J.O." Washington, who is originally from Southern California, and was USC’s first commitment in the 2027 class. 

San Diego (Calif.) Cathedral Catholic five-star athlete Honor Fa’alave-Johnson announced his pledge on March 14. The two-way star is the No. 1 athlete and No. 1 player in California according to the 247Sports Composite Rankings. Fa’alave-Johnson was back on campus twice this past week. 

USC holds a commitment from a pair of local receivers in Corona Centennial (Calif.) four-star and top 50 overall recruit Quentin Hale and Chaparral (Calif.) four-star Eli Woodard. 

Santa Margarita (Calif.) three-star defensive lineman Isaia Vandermade, the son of former Trojans offensive lineman Lenny Vandermade, also comes from the Trinity League, a conference that has a wealth of Power Four talent. From 2023-2025, USC signed two recruits from the prestigious conference. 

After signing eight recruits from the conference in the 2026 cycle, they have three commits in the 2027 cycle in Fielder, Lang and Vandermade. 

Who Could be Next in the 2027 Class? 

Sep 27, 2025; Champaign, Illinois, USA; Southern California Trojans head coach Lincoln Riley before an NCAA football game with the Illinois Fighting Illini at Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Ron Johnson-Imagn Images | Ron Johnson-Imagn Images

Lake Charles College Prep (La.) three-star athlete Javon Vital Jr. will announce his pledge on the Thursday, April 2. Vital has been intrigued by the Trojans and is in communication with USC coach Lincoln Riley and running backs coach Anthony Jones every day. The battle for the offensive weapon has come down to the Trojans and Houston. 

Westlake (Calif.) four-star tight end Charles Davis visited campus for the second time this spring on Saturday. The Trojans are battling a pair of Big Ten programs for the No. 10 tight end, per 247Sports. St. John Bosco (Calif.) three-star linebacker Josiah Poyer has been on campus a couple of times this spring and would give Southern Cal another Trinity League prospect.

Prattville (Ala.) four-star safety Jayden Aparicio-Bailey attended practice this past Tuesday and USC is making a strong push to pull him out of SEC country. They will also continue making a push for Damien (Calif.) four-star safety Gavin Williams. 

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