USC Trojans Updated Recruiting Rankings After Run on California Commits

The USC Trojans have landed three recruits in the last week of March, capped off by the commitment of three-star linebacker Josiah Poyer.

Poyer joined four-star defensive back Danny Lang and four-star offensive lineman Drew Fielder, a flip from the Oregon Ducks, as the latest commitments for USC coach Lincoln Riley and the Trojans coaching staff. With the additions of Lang, Fielder, and Poyer, USC's 2027 recruiting class has jumped up to No. 4 overall in 247Sports' rankings.

usc trojans recruiting ranking lincoln riley chad bowden josiah poyer southern california high school mater dei st john bosco — Dec 30, 2025; San Antonio, TX, USA; Southern California Trojans head coach Lincoln Riley watches in the first half against the TCU Horned Frogs during the Alamo Bowl at Alamodome. | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

The Trojans' latest movement up the recruiting rankings places them behind No. 1 Oklahoma, No. 2 Texas A&M, and No. 3 Ohio State giving USC the second-best class in the Big Ten at the end of March.

A lot of time remains before recruits can put pen to paper during the Early National Signing Period, but the Trojans have had success in holding onto a majority of pledges. However, USC could get passed up in recruiting rankings by some teams that are bringing in larger classes. After signing 35 recruits in the class of 2026, the Trojans could already be close to halfway done with the class of 2027 with only eight commitments.

USC Trojans' Run on California Recruiting

Out of the eight recruits that are currently committed to USC, only four-star defensive back Aaryn Washington plays high school outside of California, but he started his career at Mater Dei before transferring to IMG Academy in Florida.

Poyer attends St. John Bosco, Fielder plays for Servite, and Lang attends Mater Dei, three of the top high school programs in the Southern California/Los Angeles area. Meanwhile, the Trojans are firmly entrenched at Santa Margarita thanks to former USC star Carson Palmer taking the head coaching gig with the Eagles.

Three-star offensive lineman Isaia Vandermade is the lone USC commit out of Santa Margarita in the class of 2027, but the Trojans landed four-star defensive lineman Simote Katoanga, four-star wide receiver Trent Mosley, and three-star cornerback Jayden Crowder from Palmer's team in the class of 2026.

Staying with some of the most dominant high school programs in the area, USC's recruiting pipeline at Mater Dei is being rebuilt, and one could argue that it has already been fully rebuilt. Lang is the top prospect out of the powerhouse program, and he is one of four Trojans commits ranked inside the top 10 for California recruits, according to 247Sports' rankings.

Five-star safety Honor Fa'alave-Johnson is the headliner of USC's class after committing to the Trojans over Oregon and Alabama in mid March, and he is the No. 2 player in the state of California per 247Sports. Only five-star defensive back Donte Wright, currently committed to the Georgia Bulldogs, is ranked above Fa'alave-Johnson.

Although Wright is committed to Georgia, the five-star recruit has visited programs like Miami, Oregon, and USC leaving some to question if he will flip off his pledge to the Bulldogs.

Joining Lang and Fa'alave-Johnson as USC's commits from the top players in the state are four-star wide receiver Quentin Hale out of Centennial (No. 4) and Fielder (No. 9).

Sign up to our free newsletter and follow us on Facebook, and X for the latest news.