It’s official. 2026 4-Star DB out of Rancho Cucamonga, RJ Sermons has committed to the USC Trojans. Sermons is a USC legacy, as his father, Rodney Sermons, played RB for the Trojans from 1994-1997.
This is a massive commitment for a couple of reasons.
For starters, Sermons is an extremely talent defensive back that has the ability to anchor the secondary for the entirety of his collegiate career. The 6’1″, 185-pound corner is the Number 1 rated CB, according to On3’s rankings.
So the talent alone makes this a great commitment.
RJ Sermons Commitment Is A Statement By USC Trojans
However, the underlying message may be what is most important. For USC to be great, it has to dominate recruiting in California. There are a number of reasons why, and not all of it falls 100% on Lincoln Riley, but it has not felt like an emphasis for quite some time.
The 2025 Class has some good California signees, but still missed out on a lot of homegrown talent.
But Lincoln Riley and his staff seem to be making a statement with their 2026 class. Of 7 commitments so far, 5 are from California, with more trending towards committing to the Trojans.
Related: USC Trojans 2026 Recruiting Class
This is what fans have been begging for, and it is what makes USC so special. Some of the best players in the country play right in this state, and there is a pride in having them wear the Cardinal and Gold.
Signing day is a long way away, so Riley will need to give everything just to keep them all committed, but the excitement around this early class is palpable.
Sermons joins Brandon Lockhart, Joshua Holland, and Madden Riordan in the DB room, all of which are from the Golden State.
On3 interviewed Sermons, and he told them what stood out about Coach Belk specifically.
“Coach (Doug) Belk, I really like him,” said Sermons. “He has a great track record of previous defensive backs and just previous greatness. And he’s a great person. Him and my dad kind of go back a little bit. He’s just cool it feels like family at USC.
Belk has been recruiting and developing extremely well, and just yesterday landed talent DB Chasen Johnson in the Transfer Portal.
Things are looking up for this historic USC Football program.