Victory Over LSU Provides USC With Big Recruiting Boost

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Success breeds success.

The USC Trojans' (1-0) victory over the LSU Tigers (0-1) on Sept. 1 in Las Vegas not only bumped the Trojans up to the No. 13 spot in The Associated Press Top 25, while dropping the Bayou Bengals down to the No. 18 position, but also yielded benefits for Southern Cal's future prospects.

Elite recruits targeted by the Trojans took notice of the impressive performance in a prime-time contest that averaged 9.2 million viewers on ABC, peaking at 11.1 million.

Appealing to Recruits

Five-star defensive lineman Jahkeem Stewart, rated by On3, Rivals and ESPN as the No. 1 overall prospect in the 2026 class, was in attendance at the game. Also in attendance were five-star quarterback Ryder Lyons and four-star linebacker Madden Faraimo—two of the top uncommitted prospects in the 2026 and 2025 cycles, respectively. Rivals rates Lyons as the No. 1 QB in the 2026 cycle and Faraimo as the No. 5 LB in the 2025 cycle.

This trio of elite prep prospects was amongst a record-setting crowd of 63,969 in Allegiant Stadium. It also included USC Trojans star power, including Reggie Bush, Marcus Allen and new Trojans basketball coach Eric Musselman.

USC head coach Lincoln Riley commented on the positive recruiting impact of his team's big win. "You got recruits that are looking toward the future," Riley said. "They see the changes that we’ve made, not just this year but in the last couple of years, and to see those changes come together and see the team play. Not just win the game, but play the way we did, you know what I mean? I’m sure anybody watching that game could see a team that was pretty together and a team that was really fighting and was playing some pretty darn good football in a lot of spurts."

USC's 2025 recruiting class currently ranks No. 15, with three months remaining until the commencement of the early signing period, and the Trojans' 2026 class is currently ranked No. 5 in the nation by 247Sports.

Riley commented further on the significance of the Trojans' impressive performance against a tough opponent from the Southeastern Conference: "I think it’s an exciting game when you get a stage like that, which is rare in college football. You got one day, there’s no NFL games. There’s not much else going on, right? This was kind of our day here on one of the biggest stages, so to show up like that, I know there was a lot of people watching."

USC's Stacked QB Room

If, as predicted by the rating services, Lyons eventually signs with the Trojans, then he will join a stacked quarterback room.

Miller Moss, a redshirt junior, is eligible to return for the 2025 season. After his MVP performance in the Holiday Bowl last season and earning Big Ten Offensive Player of the Week honors for his outstanding play against LSU, Moss looks to have a vice grip on the starting QB position for the next two years. And, he is backed up by redshirt sophomore Jayden Maiava, who transferred to USC from UNLV after being named the 2023 College Football Network Freshman Quarterback of the Year.

Furthermore, five-star QB Julian Lewis from Carrollton, Ga. has been committed to USC's 2025 class since August 2023. ESPN rates Lewis the No. 2 overall prospect in the 2025 cycle. Lewis dominates opponents at the prep level. On Aug. 30, he led his team to a decisive victory, completing 30 of 35 passes for 250 yards and accounting for 6 touchdowns.

Lewis recently visited Colorado and head coach Deion Sanders' Buffaloes. Asked by ESPN what the visit meant, Lewis responded, "As of right now, I am still with USC. That's still where my home is. You know, taking visits is kind of a part of the process, and I was going to see what's going on everywhere else, but I'm still USC right now."

At 6-foot-1 and 185 pounds, Lewis is on the smaller side for a contemporary quarterback. However, he is renowned for his elite ability to survey the field and rapidly process his reads.  

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Assuming Lewis stays committed to USC and signs with the Trojans, the future prospects of quarterback play for Southern Cal are very bright, particularly if Lyons also joins the talented Trojans QB room.

The current cast of Trojans did their part in the effort to entice talented future Trojans, delivering an impressive and exciting performance against a storied football program on a big stage in Las Vegas.