When the USC Trojans hired Chad Bowden as their new general manager, one of the philosophies that he brought over from Notre Dame was that recruits must be 100% committed, otherwise the program would go in a different direction.
The 2026 class, and this philosophy, suffered its first blemish last week when wide receiver Kohen Brown and 5-star LB Xavier Griffin both de-committed after deciding to schedule more visits to other schools. It was an unfortunate circumstance, but it demonstrates USC’s commitment to this stance.
Today, they are reaping more rewards from this doctrine as elite defensive lineman Jaimeon Winfield has shut down his recruitment.
USC Trojans DL Commit Jaimeon Winfield Shuts Down Recruitment
Winfield announced via Hayes Fawcett of On3 that he is shutting down his recruitment and will not be taking any more visits.
This is another huge win for the USC Trojans. On-campus visits are where commitment flips happen. It is how the Trojans were able to flip players like QB Jonas Williams and DL Tomuhini Topui away from Oregon.
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The 4-star prospect out of Richardson, Texas, is the 7th-ranked defensive lineman in the 2026 class, per On3 Industry Rankings. He committed to USC back in March, and barring some unforeseen circumstance, it looks like that commitment will stick until signing day.
Last season, as a junior in high school, Winfield finished with 45 tackles, 22 for loss, 8.5 sacks, 25 QB pressures, and 2 blocked field goals.
The only visit that Winfield has remaining is his June 20th official visit to USC.