To regain national prominence, USC must recruit the Southeast.

The Trojans have not been shy about going to the most valuable region of the country for elite talent but herein lies the conundrum that USC finds itself.

That area must be a massive focus for the Trojans’ future success but after so many early commitments, there ends up being a lot of heartache and heartbreak when those players eventually flip to schools closer to home.

This recruiting cycle has been particularly tough.

Eleven of USC’s 12 de-commitments this cycle were from players in the Southeast including some that really made a massive impact including five-star quarterback Julian Lewis from Carrollton, Ga., who flipped from the Trojans to Colorado after being committed for more than a year.

If all of those early pledges stuck with USC, the Trojans would arguably have the runaway No. 1 class in the country.

Lewis, defensive linemen Justus Terry and Isaiah Gibson from Manchester, Ga., and Warner Robins, Ga., respectively, and Hylton Stubbs out of Jacksonville (Fla.) Mandarin are all five-star prospects.

Defensive backs Anquon Fegans from Alabaster (Ala.) Thompson, Carrollton’s Shamar Arnoux and Dominick Kelly out of Bradenton (Fla.) IMG Academy were all committed to the Trojans at one time.

Four-star linebacker Ty Jackson out of Loxahatchee (Fla.) Seminole Ridge flipped from USC to Florida in recent days. Four-star running back Daune Morris from Murfreesboro (Tenn.) Oakland flipped to Tennessee after a long courtship. Four-star offensive lineman Carde Smith out of Mobile (Ala.) Williamson backed off his USC pledge and could be headed to Colorado as well.

Four-star defensive back Jett White was a very early USC pledge but then moved from Southern California to Miami (Fla.) Edison and reopened his recruitment.

The lone local prospect to back off his USC pledge in its 2025 class was Westlake Village (Calif.) Oaks Christian four-star defensive end Hayden Lowe, and the word is he flipped to Miami because of a big NIL deal among other things.

What’s most incredible after all those defections – and a slog of a 6-5 campaign with Notre Dame to close things out for the regular season – is that USC still has the No. 15 class nationally and is ahead of Penn State, a surging Florida team that has flipped a bunch of top prospects and many other playoff contenders.

And the Trojans might not be done yet. Five-star defensive lineman Jahkeem Stewart has USC right at the top of his recruitment with a week left. USC is making a play for four-star linebacker Madden Faraimo. And the Trojans still lead for 2026 five-star quarterback Ryder Lyons from Folsom, Calif.

Of course, there could still be some last-minute defections.

USC is still working to keep four-star ATH Stephen Miller from Greensboro (Ga.) Greene County, three-star receiver Romero Ison from Gaithersburg (Md.) Watkins Mill and Dinwiddie, Va., three-star running back Harry Dalton among others.

It’s been a wild ride for USC this recruiting cycle. It might still not be finished.