‘USC went from darkhorse to favorite’ for top-100 defender while trying to best the likes of Ohio State, Texas, and Florida

One of the more heavily pursued defenders in the 2026 recruiting class is Princeton (N.J.) The Hun School defensive end Luke Wafle. The New Jersey native had previously announced his final use of Ohio State, Texas, USC, Penn State, and Florida. This month of official visits was a great opportunity to sort through the options. […]

Ryan Roberts — National College Football Writer

Jun 16, 2025 2:06 PM EDT

2026 Penn State EDGE target Luke Wafle — 247 Sports

A lot of the conversations have centered around both the Buckeyes and Gators recently, but it appears that USC just made a huge move during his official visit. According to On3 vice president of recruiting Steve Wiltfong, the Trojans now could be up at the top. They made quite the impression.

“USC went from darkhorse to favorite for On3’s No. 1 ranked prospect in New Jersey in Hun School (NJ) High’s Luke Wafle,” Wiltfong wrote.

Wafle and his family returned this weekend for an official visit. A terrific weekend included time spent with Trojan greats Ronnie Lott and Marcus Allen.

USC has On3’s No. 1 class and Wafle would be a massive addition. I like the way it’s trending.”

The Trojans have been rising a lot of recruiting momentum since general manager came over from Notre Dame. If they are able to land a commitment from Wafle, this could end up being one of the better recruiting classes we have seen head out to Los Angeles in several years. It has the look of a truly elite group.

Wafle is considered a consensus four-star player across every major recruiting platform. On3 has him rated as the No. 14 overall player, No. 4 EDGE, and No. 1 player in the state of New Jersey for the 2026 recruiting class. He is also rated as the No. 55 overall player and No. 6 EDGE in the class according to the 247Sports Composite ranking.

Outside of his finalists, Wafle has been pursued by a long list of heavy hitters. Some of his other top offers includes Georgia, Notre Dame, Oregon, Oklahoma, Michigan, Tennessee, Clemson, Miami, Florida State, South Carolina, Pittsburgh, Michigan State, Kentucky, Maryland, Stanford, Syracuse, Illinois, Virginia Tech, Wisconsin, West Virginia, Duke, Boston College, and Rutgers among many others.

The 6-6, 250-pound pass rusher was a menace for the Hun School as a junior. In nine games, Wafle recorded 53 total tackles, 18 tackles for loss, eight sacks, and eight more quarterback hurries. He was also used a bit on offense, and it is expected that he could expand his overall role as a senior.