The USC Trojans experienced an intriguing first season in the Big Ten, finishing with a 7-6 overall record and 4-5 in conference play. They capped off the season by defeating the Texas A&M Aggies 35-31 in the Las Vegas Bowl.
While this isn’t necessarily a poor performance, head coach Lincoln Riley aims for greater success in the future, which will entail significant efforts toward enhancing the roster.
One effective strategy for achieving this is by attracting top high school recruits, and Riley along with USC has excelled at this in recent months. Their 2026 recruiting class currently ranks No. 2 nationally and No. 1 in the Big Ten, according to On3.
On Monday, they announced another notable addition to that class: defensive lineman Lake Johnson from Prosper, Texas
BREAKING: Class of 2026 DL Jake Johnson has Committed to USC, he tells me for @on3recruits
The 6’3 290 DL from Prosper, TX chose the Trojans over SMU, Wisconsin, North Carolina, & Vanderbilt
“I’m going back home.”https://t.co/DDg0eSic06 pic.twitter.com/U0dptYBohH
— Hayes Fawcett (@Hayesfawcett3) April 7, 2025
This is significant news for USC, with On3 Industry rankings listing Johnson as a three-star recruit, making him the No. 61 defensive lineman, the No. 94 player in Texas, and the No. 673 player nationwide.
Additionally, there were several prominent programs vying for his commitment, including Wisconsin, UCF, Texas Tech, Baylor, and SMU.
With this addition, Johnson becomes part of a USC recruiting class that features standout players like four-star linebacker Xavier Griffin, four-star cornerback RJ Sermons, four-star quarterback Jonas Williams, and four-star cornerback Brandon Lockhart.
, they announced another notable addition to that class: defensive lineman Lake Johnson from Prosper, Texas
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