USC pulled longtime NFL defensive coordinator Rob Ryan back to the college game for the first time since 1996 when it hired him this offseason as linebackers coach, and he made an immediate impact in the Trojans’ recruiting efforts. Midway through the 2026 cycle, USC looks like its old self on the trail with the No. 2-ranked class in the 247Sports team rankings. Ryan hauled in three of the 31 commits and made a splash with one of them in particular this summer.
Linebacker Talanoa Ili, a four-star prospect from Kahuku, Hawaii, picked the Trojans in a high-profile commitment in June and became the top recruit to commit to Ryan. The new USC assistant also landed four-star edge rusher Shaun Scott and three-star linebacker Taylor Johnson.
“Well, I dominated,” Ryan said laughingly to USCFootball.com. “I did learn a lot of lessons. But, I mean, the great thing is this is a people business. If you’re good people, you tell the truth to kids — and you’re at USC, for God’s sake. Everybody wants to come to USC, so it’s easy.”
Recruiting has not looked all that easy for the Trojans over the last few years, though. Lincoln Riley last signed a top 10 class back in the 2023 cycle and saw his program slip to No. 13 and No. 17 in the last two years. He has been outward this offseason about a change in philosophy that reemphasizes high school recruiting and talent development after a couple of years of high focus on the transfer portal.
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Source link : https://www.cbssports.com/college-football/news/as-usc-football-recruiting-rebounds-to-elite-level-rob-ryan-makes-key-impact-in-debut-cycle-i-dominated/
Author : Carter Bahns
Publish date : 2025-07-29 18:32:00
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