Lincoln Riley and the USC Trojans suffer a painful miss in pursuit of the fastest player in the 2026 recruiting class right from their backyard
USC football has been recruiting at a very high level ever since former Notre Dame general manager Chad Bowden joined the program this offseason. The 2026 recruiting class has a chance to be the very best under head coach Lincoln Riley. The Trojans have already managed to close on several top targets. That isn't the […]
USC football has been recruiting at a very high level ever since former Notre Dame general manager Chad Bowden joined the program this offseason. The 2026 recruiting class has a chance to be the very best under head coach Lincoln Riley. The Trojans have already managed to close on several top targets.
That isn't the case for Spring Valley (Calif.) Mount Miguel athlete Brandon Arrington, who announced that he was making his commitment on June 19th. Arrington will be choosing between the Oregon Ducks and Texas A&M Aggies. USC did not end up making the cut.
This is a tough loss for the Trojans, valuing Arrington as a priority on their 2026 board, and a talent they can't let out of the state of California. It makes it even worse that he could end up with Oregon. They have been a thorn in the Trojans' side to pull talent to Eugene.
Arrington is considered an elite talent in the 2026 recruiting class. He is currently rated as the No. 10 overall player, No. 1 athlete, and No. 1 player in the state of California on the 247Sports Composite ranking. They have him pegged as a five-star as well.
It shouldn’t be much of a surprise that Arrington also boasts an elite offer list. Some of his top offers include the Trojans, Georgia, Alabama, Oregon, Texas A&M, Penn State, Notre Dame, Michigan, Texas, LSU, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Miami, Florida, Florida State, Auburn, Nebraska, Missouri, Oklahoma State, Washington, Michigan State, Colorado, Utah, Arizona State, Arkansas, BYU, Texas Tech, UCLA, Washington State, Oregon State, Syracuse, Boston College, Indiana, Cal, and Arizona among others.
At 6-2 and 180 pounds with blazing speed, Arrington can do a lot on a football field. On offense, he hauled in 31 receptions for 527 yards and five touchdowns. Arrington also rushed for 52 yards and another score, while averaging over 38.6 yards per kick return.
On defense, Arrington collected 26 total tackles, one interception, three pass breakups, one forced fumble, and another fumble recovery. A big reason for that versatility is the raw speed Arrington brings to the table. He is also a track star, having posted personal best times of 10.27 seconds in the 100-yard dash and 20.40 seconds in the 200-yard dash.
