Following disappointing 2025–26 campaigns for both the men’s and women’s teams, USC basketball is on a redemption path with its newest recruits as both squads look to return to the upper echelon of the sport. 

After women’s basketball picked up its third No. 1 recruit in four years, Head Coach Lindsay Gottlieb followed it up on March 17 by signing yet another five-star recruit, who is slated to make a big impact on the team. Men’s basketball also signed the No. 5 overall recruit in the country, according to ESPN.

Gottlieb got ’em!

On March 17, women’s basketball landed Sara Okeke, a five-star recruit out of Madrid.  

Okeke played in the 2025 International Basketball Federation U18 Women’s EuroBasket team, where she was named MVP after averaging 13.8 points and 7.2 rebounds per game on 57% shooting. Despite receiving offers from top programs like Kentucky, Indiana and Texas, the Spanish prospect decided on the Trojans. 

“I chose USC because as soon as I stepped on the campus I felt at home,” Okeke told ESPN. “The coaching staff and the players are exactly what I am looking for, and I know they’ll push me to grow, on and off the court. I cannot wait to be a part [of] and impact this special program.” 

Okeke joins Saniyah Hall, who is the No. 1 recruit in the class of 2026, according to ESPN. Hall is currently signed with Jordan Brand and earned McDonald’s All-American honors. 

In January, five-star freshman forward Sitaya Fagan enrolled early but did not see any action this spring.

“We could not be more excited with our class of 2026,” Gottlieb said about Hall and Fagan in a press release on Nov. 12. “We think we have the best class in the country and the best duo in the country. Both for what they bring as humans and as talented athletes, but also how they fit with what we are as a program and what we are aiming to become.” 

Hall marks the third time in the last four years that USC has signed the overall No. 1 recruit, joining junior guard JuJu Watkins and freshman guard Jazzy Davidson, who made impressive impacts to the team in their respective freshman campaigns. Watkins has a long resume of awards in her rookie campaign, while Davidson earned USC’s first Big Ten Freshman of the Year honors. 

With Watkins missing the 2025–26 season due to her ACL injury, the Trojans struggled to put up consistent wins despite a combination of upsets. USC started the season ranked in the Associated Press poll but slowly fell out as it lost several games down the stretch, culminating in a second-round exit from the NCAA Tournament. 

With senior guards Kara Dunn and Londynn Jones graduating, the Trojans will look to their incoming freshmen to reignite the fire in the program.

Muss Bus picks up another five-star

Despite receiving offers from Kentucky, Louisville and UCLA, McDonald’s All-American Christian Collins committed to USC on March 18, providing a significant boost to Head Coach Eric Musselman’s recruiting class. The 6-foot-8 Los Angeles native averages 26.1 points per game and boasts a height that could be helpful for the Trojan offense next season. 

Collins joins Adonis and Darius Ratliff, the first two signees for USC’s 2026 recruiting class. The Ratliff brothers, both also McDonald’s All Americans, played together at Archbishop Stepinac High School and were named to the Naismith Trophy Boys High School Player of the Year watch list. 

Adonis Ratliff, the five-star center, averaged 12.3 points, 8.7 rebounds and 3.5 blocked shots per game. He is ranked in the top 15 of athletes in the class of 2026, according to ESPN. 

“We’re excited to welcome Adonis to our Trojan family,” Musselman said in a press release on Nov. 13. “He is an extremely unique player with his versatility on both ends of the floor. Our staff loves his ability to be positionless.”

Darius Ratliff, a 7-foot center and four-star recruit, averaged 9.5 points, 9.1 rebounds and 2.6 blocked shots per game. Ratliff is the No. 29 recruit in the class, according to ESPN. 

With the departure of veteran seniors and a brutal conclusion to the 2025–26 season that saw USC lose its last eight games, the three top-ranked recruits look to make an immediate impact on a Trojan squad desperate for a turnaround.