USC Trojans Updated Recruiting Rankings After Mater Dei's Shaun Scott Commitment

The USC Trojans landed a big commitment on Mother's Day from Mater Dei (Calif.) four-star EDGE Shaun Scott. The local prospect is the fourth blue-chip recruit to commit to USC in the month of May to help bolster the Trojans the No. 1 ranked class.

Nov 2, 2024; Seattle, Washington, USA; USC Trojans head coach Lincoln Riley stands on the sideline during the fourth quarter against the Washington Huskies at Alaska Airlines Field at Husky Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Joe Nicholson-Imagn Images / Joe Nicholson-Imagn Images

The USC Trojans landed a big commitment on Sunday from Mater Dei (Calif.) four-star EDGE Shaun Scott to help bolster its No. 1 ranked recruiting class in the 2026 cycle, according to every major recruiting site — 247Sports, Rivals, On3 and ESPN. 

The Trojans have been on an all-time recruiting heater this calendar year and the month of May has been no different. It started with IMG Academy (Fla.) five-star offensive tackle Keenyi Pepe announcing his pledge on May 1 after visiting campus the last two weekends of spring practice. The 6-foot-7, 320-pound Pepe has strong Southern California ties and has since officially shut down his recruitment. He is the younger brother of USC redshirt senior defensive lineman Kobe Pepe. 

Pepe was the fourth offensive tackle to commit to USC, joining Folsom (Calif.) four-star Vlad Dyakonov, Valor Christian (Colo.) three-star Kannon Smith and Cathedral Catholic (Calif.) three-star Chase Deniz. 

Nov 2, 2024; Seattle, Washington, USA; USC Trojans head coach Lincoln Riley stands on the sideline during the fourth quarter against the Washington Huskies at Alaska Airlines Field at Husky Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Joe Nicholson-Imagn Images / Joe Nicholson-Imagn Images

Archbishop Hoban (Ohio) five-star cornerback Elbert Hill committed to USC the day after Pepe. USC turned up their pursuit of Hill starting in January, bringing him out to Los Angeles three times this year, including the final weekend of spring practice on April 26 and visiting him multiple times in Ohio. 

The Trojans staff made the highly coveted defensive back a priority, and so did Loyola (Calif.) four-star cornerback and USC commit Brandon Lockhart. The Los Angeles native has been committed to his hometown school for over 18 months and has never wavered. Lockhart has been all-in on actively recruiting other blue-chip recruits to join him at USC. 

The Trojans now hold commitments from three of the top six cornerbacks in the 2026 cycle according to the 247Sports Composite Rankings in Hill, Lockhart and Rancho Cucamonga (Calif.) five-star RJ Sermons. 

Sermons is the No. 2 cornerback and No. 33 overall prospect. His father, Rodney, played running back for the Trojans in the 90s. Sermons has been committed to USC since December. Hill is the No. 3 cornerback and No. 40 overall prospect and Lockhart is the No. 6 overall prospect and No. 53 overall prospect. 

Sherman Oaks (Calif.) Notre Dame four-star receiver Luc Weaver attended spring practice on April 24 and left campus with a scholarship offer, which shifted everything in his recruitment. Weaver was immediately intrigued by an offer from his hometown school and became the Trojans third blue-chip recruitment in three days when he committed on May 3. 

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Weaver was the fourth receiver to commit to USC, joining Santa Margarita (Calif.) four-star Trent Mosley, Sierra Canyon (Calif.) three-star Ja’Myron Baker and Opelousas Catholic (La.) three-star Roderick Tezeno. 

Scott became the Trojans 27th commitment over the weekend. The local prospect is the No. 289 overall prospect and No. 28 EDGE according to the 247Sports Composite Rankings, but USC views him as a linebacker at the next level. 

Restoring their pipeline with the national powerhouse in Orange County, which is located 40 miles from campus, has been a priority for USC this cycle. Despite having a high number of blue-chip recruits in every class, the Trojans have not signed a recruit from Mater Dei since the 2022 cycle, USC coach Lincoln Riley’s first recruiting class. 

Now, they have two commitments from the prominent high school. Four-star defensive lineman Tomuhini Topui flipped his commitment from Oregon to USC on April 1. Topui was a frequent visitor on campus during spring practice and has since shutdown his recruitment. 

Dec 27, 2024; Las Vegas, NV, USA; Southern California Trojans head coach Lincoln Riley reacts against the Texas A&M Aggies in the second half at Allegiant Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images / Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

Gainesville (Ga.) five-star Xavier Griffin is the crown jewel of the Trojans 2026 class. His recruitment will continue to be closely monitored from now until the early signing period in December. Griffin has been committed since July and has adamant about his pledge to USC. 

That hasn’t stopped several SEC schools from making a push for the No. 1 ranked linebacker in the country. Griffin has taken multiple unofficial visits to other schools this spring, but USC is still the only school that the Peach State native has scheduled an official visit with. 

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