USC Trojans Taking Intriguing Route With Legacy Recruit

The USC Trojans are keeping a close eye on the son of a past school star by taking this approach.

USC Trojans head coach Lincoln Riley and defensive line coach Shaun Nua celebrate on the sideline. | Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

The summer of 2026 has seen the USC Trojans stay in touch with legacy recruits.

USC entered the picture for 2028 safety Chauncey Washington II, whose father committed to the 2003 class and played for coach Pete Carroll. The Trojans also became involved with Paisios Polamalu, the son of USC and NFL legendary safety Troy Polamalu. The younger Polamalu ultimately verbally committed to Stanford, though.

There's another USC legacy recruit worth monitoring, but with a catch.

USC Trojans Recruiting Jackson Parker

Nov 29, 2025; Los Angeles, California, USA; Southern California Trojans quarterback Jayden Maiava (14) and head coach Lincoln Riley react after the game against the UCLA Bruins at United Airlines Field at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

USC insider for On3 Scott Schrader rolled out the list of 2028 talents who rise as early favorites to commit to the Trojans, and Schrader revealed that four-star safety Jackson Parker out of Garces High in Bakersfield is a new legacy talent to watch.

However Schrader also revealed that USC coach Lincoln Riley, general manager Chad Bowden and the Trojans coaching staff are taking this approach with the son of Larry Parker:

"The Trojans want to evaluate his first few games this season," Schrader wrote.

Parker did work out in front of USC coaches in June during one of its summer camps, per Schrader, and the relationship started to grow from there.

Likely Reason USC is Taking This Approach

Southern California coach Lincoln Riley looks for answers against Oregon during the second half touchdown Nov. 22, 2025. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

The younger Parker definitely comes with intriguing bloodlines to USC. Especially as his dad starred at USC in the mid to late 1990s by playing for the late John Robinson and in 1998, Paul Hackett.

But there's an even likelier reason as to why USC is taking this cautious approach with Parker: to see how he adjusts in a new surrounding.

Parker heads to his father's home state after living in Kansas. He now heads into one of the deeper regions of California high school football Kern County. Garces plays in one of the highest levels of the California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) Central Section at Division II.

Notable Division II opponents include Kingsburg High (the prep alma mater of former USC offensive lineman Andrew Vorhees), Edison High in Fresno (USC legend Tim McDonald played and coached there, including leading his son T.J. before choosing the Trojans in 2009), and Lemoore (the prep home of Parade All-American and ex-USC wide receiver David Ausberry).

Parker's newest team the Rams plays a fierce schedule too. Garces opens against CIF Central Section Division I foe St. Joseph (which produced former USC walk-on wide receiver Collin Fasse), plus faces a fierce Bakersfield gauntlet of Bakersfield High, Centennial (alma mater of ex-USC quarterback Cody Kessler) and Frontier High in October.

Clearly, USC's personnel wants to see how Parker adjusts to facing a much higher playing field as he becomes an official high school upperclassman this fall. Parker already possesses a much larger frame than his dad at 6-4, 185-pounds. But he displayed tremendous range and poise at Olathe High in Kansas, establishing himself as a deep coverage safety there.

USC will likely want to see how he fares against quicker and more physical wideouts in the Central Section, plus see if this Parker rises as the newest 661 region star just like his famed dad.

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