USC and Oregon shaking up Big Ten recruiting world

Don’t look now but the new kids on the Big Ten block are messing up the league’s traditional order in recruiting. It wasn’t that long ago that there were serious questions about if USC and Oregon would be able to adapt to the Big Ten. Oregon clearly passed all tests by winning the Big Ten championship last season. Dan Lanning’s program also finished with the No. 1 2025 recruiting class in the conference.

USC didn’t fare as well on the field last season. Lincoln Riley’s team went 7-6 which is never going to be good enough in Los Angeles.

Trojans’ big recruiting class

So what did the Trojans’ do in response? They’ve locked in on the recruiting trail. USC currently has the No. 1 recruiting class in the country. That class is powered by elite talent from California, such as five-star tight end Mark Bowman. So are four-stars Simote Katoanga, Brandon Lockhart, Deshonne Redeaux, Tomuhini Topui, Vlad Dyakonov, Trent Mosley, Luc Weaver and Shaun Scott.

But it’s not just the California talent by itself. USC flipped four-star quarterback Jonas Williams away from Oregon. Texas four-star wide receiver Boobie Feaster is in the class. Ohio four-star cornerback Elbert Hill is heading to USC. So is four-star New Jersey edge rusher Luke Wafle.

Ducks in the hunt

USC has a phenomenal class going but guess who is right there behind them?

Oregon.

Oregon’s “Summer of Dan” has seen the program add four-stars Tommy Tofi, Devin Jackson, Jalen Lott and Davon Benjamin since July 1. Five-star edge rusher Anthony Jones joined the class on July 31. We also can’t forget about five-star offensive lineman Immauel Iheanacho who committed on July 3.

We are used to seeing Ohio State, Michigan and Penn State battle it out for the top recruiting classes in the Big Ten. The Buckeyes currently sit at No. 9 in the country, Michigan is 11 and Penn State is 16.

The amount of blue-chippers heading to USC and Oregon should concern the rest of the conference. The new kids on the block have robust recruiting departments and deep NIL pockets.

It’ll be fun to see how this all presents itself on the field over the new few seasons. But USC and Oregon fans should be thrilled at the early signs.