BREAKING: 2026 No. 1 CB Brandon Lockhart commits to USC
USC continues its recruiting prowess in the class 2026 as they have landed a commitment from Los Angeles (Cal.) Loyola cornerback Brandon Lockhart.
Lockhart is the No. 1 ranked cornerback in the 2026 cycle. He is the No. 11 overall prospect in the On3 Industry Ranking, a weighted average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies.
He is the No. 1 ranked prospect in the state of California in the 2026 cycle.
To this point in his recruitment, Lockhart has earned offers from USC, Oregon, Arizona, Penn State, Miami, Auburn, Tennessee, BYU, San Jose State, and Utah.
Lockhart, 6-foot-3, 170 pounds, becomes the third commitment in the Trojans 2026 class, joining Carrollton (Ga.) five-star quarterback and No. 1 overall prospect Julian ‘JuJu’ Lewis as well as Los Alamitos (Cal.) wide receiver Ja’Myron Baker.
Before committing, Oregon was considered the biggest competitor at this time in his recruitment. He visited the Ducks earlier this season.
USC made it’s move for Lockhart this month
Lockhart visited USC twice in the month of October. On the pair of visits, the Trojans staff did everything they could to make Lockhart feel like a priority. In total, he has visited USC three times in his recruitment.
The elite cornerback spoke about what exactly made him feel wanted on his prior visits.
“USC is my home school! They’ll always have my attention. The staff is great and always show me a ton of love. Coach [Lincoln] Riley made sure to come see me when I arrived on Saturday, and those small gestures stand out! Coach Donte [Williams] always makes sure I’m good too. He makes sure I’m near him when the DB’s are warming up on the field. That makes me feel like I’m already one of them. Coach [Alex] Grinch and Coach [Taylor] Mays also came and sat with me and my parents for a while at pre- game!
“It feels like home,” Lockhart added.
Working to build the class
Lockhart has been around, or at least talked with, quite a few of the elite prospects in the 2026 class. He says
“I have for sure talked to other 26’s and even a few 25’s. I think the class is stacked and has a huge opportunity to make USC a national powerhouse for years to come. ‘JuJu’ committing first is going to get things started for sure. Having a great quarterback lets everyone know what the offense will look like.
“I can be the guy that people will look to for what the defense will look like.”
