By Keegan Pope, On3 rivals: Prior to last year, Lincoln Riley and his staff at USC didn’t see recruiting California as a huge priority; it showed in the Trojans’ classes.
A switch flipped prior to the beginning of the 2026 class, and keeping top talent at home became a massive point of emphasis. Twenty of the Trojans’ 35 signees hailed from the state of California, and of the state’s more than 40 blue-chip prospects, 10 signed with USC. The previous cycle, it was only five…