When four-star linebacker Talanoa Ili began his official visit on Friday, USC football staff beckoned him into a tunnel entrance of Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum where they would show him the future. The tunnel was decked out with flashing lights, Heisman trophies and adoring fans — in this case, the Trojan football staff. The message was clear: Join us and this future could be yours.

Last weekend was another critical period in USC’s recruiting season as several four- and five-star recruits made their official visits. The Trojans rolled out the red carpet for a mix of committed and uncommitted athletes as part of a weekend experience that included poker games, a lobster dinner and penthouse views.

If their mood is any indication, Head Coach Lincoln Riley and the rest of the football program are gearing up for a triumphant future. But unlike past years, their optimism might not be in vain: Their 2026 recruiting class is ranked No. 1, according to 247Sports.

If USC keeps its momentum, it would be the first time the program has earned the top spot in recruitment rankings since the 2006 season — a time when the Trojans were regular Pac-12 champions under former Head Coach Pete Carroll. The 28 Trojan commits thus far include one five-star and 17 four-star recruits, according to 247Sports.

“The more we’ve built and have had some of the success that we did early, it’s just created belief and momentum,” Riley said in an interview with On3 on June 4. “This is not one of those things where it’s a bunch of hollow promises, and things aren’t being followed through. It’s important to this university right now.”

One of the biggest names among USC’s commits is a recent addition: No. 1 tight end Mark Bowman. At Mater Dei High School last season, Bowman notched an impressive 435 receiving yards and 8 touchdowns. Riley is reportedly planning to make Bowman a key part of USC’s offense moving forward. 

On the other side of the ball, USC football anticipates the addition of four-star defensive lineman commits Simote Katoanga, Jaimeon Winfield and Tomuhini Topui — the 6th-, 8th- and 10th-ranked, respectively. The defense has made strides since Defensive Coordinator D’Anton Lynn arrived in 2023, cutting down the average number of points the Trojans allowed per game from 34.4 in 2023 to 24.1 last year.

Among the uncommitted visitors last weekend was five-star wide receiver Ethan “Boobie” Feaster, four-star linebacker Ili and four-star cornerback Peyton Dyer. Feaster, the seventh-ranked in his position, is weighing offers from LSU and Texas A&M, and his interest in USC remains questionable. Ili is more likely to join the Trojans, with his former Trinity-League-mates Topui and Katoanga already on the team. Dyer committed to USC on Sunday afternoon, according to On3.

USC’s recruiting efforts boil down to two words: location and money. Two-thirds of USC’s 2026 commits hail from Southern California, a number that owes partially to the efforts of new General Manager Chad Bowden’s emphasis on recruiting locally. 

“The best high school football in America is played in California and we’re going to do everything we can to get the best players in California to stay here and play for USC,” Bowden said during a press conference in February. 

USC has locked down two of the top 10 recruits in California so far — Bowman and Katoanga — with four still uncommitted and five-star quarterback Ryder Lyons likely to join the Trojans. The program has been taken to task in the past — by analysts at the Los Angeles Times, Orange County Register and The Athletic, among others — for neglecting local recruitment.

Bowden, who joined USC football from Notre Dame in January, is also part of a flurry of moves by the program to stay competitive in the expanding world of name, image and likeness deals. USC didn’t always enjoy a high level of NIL interest, but the team’s average NIL value per player has shot up from $58,000 to $433,000 between the 2021 and 2025 seasons according to On3, with most of the growth happening in the last year. An estimate by On3 suggests that Bowman could make up to $10 million from NIL during his time at USC, one of the highest valuations in the current landscape.

Complementing its NIL efforts, USC Athletics announced on June 5 that it signed a 15-year deal with Learfield, a company that specializes in marketing, donor engagement and digital platforms, among other niches in college athletics.

“[T]his partnership will elevate our entire institution and help ensure USC remains the place to be for student-athletes to reach their fullest potential in all they do for years to come,” said Athletic Director Jennifer Cohen in the announcement. 

The football staff has plenty to celebrate, but only time will tell if the high-caliber recruits will mesh with the current roster well enough to survive the road ahead.