USC Trojans Coaching Staff Have Already Invested An Insane Amount Of Resources In Recruiting California

Ask any USC Trojans fan what they want to see more of (besides winning) and the answer will pretty much always be the same. Recruit California.

Keeping kids to stay in the Golden State began to decline during the Clay Helton era, and have continued to do so since Lincoln Riley took over as the head coach.

There are a number of factors to this, including NIL opportunities, this new age of social media, etc., but it has been clear that while Riley still values recruiting California, the emphasis has not been as strong as it once was.

For example, only 23% of the 2025 Recruiting Class are from the State of California.

However, just 3 weeks into 2025, that focus seems to be shifting. So far, of the eight commitments in the 2026 class, 63% are from California. But here is the even more exciting thing.

In the first 2 weeks of the recruiting period in California, the USC Trojans staff has already visited 164 High Schools in the state.

USC Trojans Reclaiming California Recruiting

At the end of the day, NIL is still a huge factor is closing the deal, and the GM hire will hopefully aid in this venture more often than not, but building relationships is still extremely important.

These young student athletes remember who recruited them and who came visit. That is why it is so important, and so good to see, that Lincoln Riley seems to be really targeting local recruiting and building relationships within the border of the state.

Quarterback Julian Lewis is a tremendous prospect and should have a great career at Colorado, but it is undeniable how the excitement grew when local QB Husan Longstreet flipped his commitment to the USC Trojans.

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There is something special about Cali kids wearing the Cardinal and Gold, and their is no denying the talent pool that resides right here.

It is still going to be an uphill battle to get back to the Pete Carroll days, and to be honest, I don’t think it will ever get to that level in terms of walling off the state (just a different age), but Lincoln Riley is demonstrating a concerted effort to show the likes of Oregon, Notre Dame, Alamba, etc. that their days of poaching prospects from his backyard are limited.

It begins with this 2026 class, and hopefully that extends into the foreseeable future.

164 California schools in 2 weeks is certainly a good start.