Just when everyone thought USC was all set to lose the recruiting battle against Notre Dame, they scored a massive win. After securing the commitment of 4-star EDGE Mekai Brown for the 2027 class, Lincoln Riley’s team showed its dominance once again on the recruiting trail. The program made sure Notre Dame felt every bit of humiliation losing against them as they took a direct shot at them and other teams.
Mekai Brown had announced earlier that he would be announcing his college decision live on the Rivals YouTube Channel on Friday, April 17, 2026. And so he did, as he sat at a table on Friday with five hats in front of him, representing Notre Dame, Ohio State, Texas A&M, Ole Miss, and USC. As the moment got closer, it became clear that his final choice was between Notre Dame and USC.
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In the end, Brown chose USC, making it official by saying, “With all that being said… I’ll be committing to USC.” That gave Lincoln Riley and his team the perfect chance to take a dig at Notre Dame, posting a video with a voiceover by GM Chad Bowden.
“USC continues taking shots after winning recruiting battles. The Trojans are firing shots at Notre Dame with a remake of Notre Dame’s ‘Think Big’ video and a voiceover from Chad Bowden saying, ‘Think Bigger,’” recruiting analyst Matt Freeman reported on X. “USC also takes digs at ND, Oregon, and UCLA with license plate messages.”
The sting of this troll job goes deep. Chad Bowden isn’t just USC’s new general manager. He was the mastermind behind Notre Dame’s recent elite recruiting classes. Poaching him was Lincold Riley’s first massive blow. Now, having Bowden personally mock his former employer’s catchphrase adds serious salt to the wound.
Moreover, this isn’t the first time USC has pulled such a move. Every time they win a recruiting battle, the team against them often has to face their fierce wrath. Oregon wanted to sign four-star player Danny Lang, but he decided to join USC instead. This was a big win for Riley’s program in recruiting. After winning, USC made fun of Oregon on social media. They joked about something Oregon’s coach, Dan Lanning, once said: “The grass is damn green in Eugene.”
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USC posted a short video where green grass is being sprayed red, which is USC’s color. At the end of the video, they added the message, “Guess the grass wasn’t greener.” So, this license plate move is not something new for the program.
USC has already added strong defensive players from different states, such as Luke Wafle from New Jersey and Jaimeon Winfield from Texas, in the 2026 class. This shows that the team is recruiting talent from all over the country. Even though USC plans to sign a smaller group of players in the 2027 class after bringing in 35 players in 2026, it is still focusing a lot on improving its defensive line.
Now that Mekai Brown has joined the team, it is a big boost for USC. What’s surprising is that despite taking a visit to Notre Dame before making the decision, Brown chose Riley’s team. The Irish thought they had locked in, but Brown’s decision to move to Los Angeles proves that USC’s revamped recruiting machine is currently out-muscling traditional Midwest powerhouses right in their own living rooms.
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Even USC’s defensive coordinator, D’Anton Lynn, left for Penn State. But despite all of it, the family factor stood out for him, as Brown has people he knows living in Los Angeles. On top of that, even though he kept visiting other teams, USC always held a special place in his heart.
“After that visit, USC moved to the top of my list. I kept taking visits, but I didn’t get that feeling,” Brown said. “Some schools made moves for me on visits. But none were like USC. When I talked with the staff, they made it clear USC is about more than just football. They told me you don’t just choose USC for football, you choose it for all the opportunities.”
But that’s not the only recruiting battle that USC won.
USC Trojans have another recruiting win
The USC Trojans won another recruiting battle and continue to do very well in that aspect. They added a new player, Jace Cannon, to their 2027 class, who’s a three-star tight end from the Bay Area. The program has shown that it is indeed able to keep talented local players close to home. What’s interesting is that Cannon chose USC over other strong teams like Texas A&M, Michigan, and Ole Miss, which indicates that USC is still a very attractive destination for top players.
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Jace Cannon is a very talented athlete who plays not only football but also basketball and baseball. On the football field, he showed great skill by making strong catches and moving well. As a sophomore, he averaged 19.6 yards per catch, which shows he can make big plays and is a dangerous deep threat.
USC tight ends coach Chad Savage played a big role in recruiting him. He focused a lot on Cannon and made him a top priority. When Cannon visited USC during spring practice, he saw how the team uses tight ends in its system. This experience helped him convince himself that USC is the right place for him. Now, with that momentum, it remains to be seen if all these recruiting wins translate into on-field success. Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.
