USC Trojans win the battle for an elite playmaker over two teams that made the College Football Playoff in 2025
The USC Trojans are recruiting at an elite level still, and landing a great tight end in Jace Cannon could help the team translate that onto the field, too.
One year after landing the fourth-best tight end in the 2026 recruiting class, the USC Trojans have landed another great TE in the 2027 class. Now, he’s not near the top five in terms of his ranking, but he can, without a doubt, be a great football player at the college level.
On Saturday, the Trojans landed Jace Cannon, a three-star tight end from the Bay Area. So, in a way, the Trojans landed a recruit in their own backyard.
Cannon played at powerhouse Junipero Serra in San Mateo, California. At 6’5″ and 210 lbs., he chose USC over finalists Michigan, Stanford, Cal, Ole Miss, and Texas A&M. The Trojans, who just missed last year’s postseason, out-recruited two CFP teams—Aggies and Rebels—for Cannon.
A dynamic multi-sport athlete, Cannon also excels in basketball and baseball. His highlight reel jumps off the screen: acrobatic, twisting grabs in traffic and slick moves to create separation at the intermediate level. As a sophomore, he electrified fans by averaging a remarkable 19.6 yards per catch, establishing himself as a major vertical threat.
USC tight ends coach Chad Savage made Cannon a top priority, especially after his spring practice visit, where Cannon saw how USC utilizes the position.
USC Trojans continue to chip away at the top of the 2027 recruiting rankings
The Trojans have the No. 4 overall recruiting class in 2027. They have recently fallen three spots from No. 2 in the overall class rankings, largely because of what other schools have done in recruiting recently, not because of anything they have done. But USC is just getting started.
USC already has four players in the top 100, and another who is just on the outside looking in. Lincoln Riley is putting in work, but it doesn’t matter if the recruiting doesn’t translate to the field.
