USC got another commitment today, their 28th of the class, from three-star linebacker Taylor Johnson of San Bernardino, Calif.
Johnson's other offers were from Arizona, Oregon State, Boston College and Fresno State, among others.
He could develop into a fine player. Casey Matthews and Kiko Alonso were three-star linebackers, back in the day. They won conference championships and a Rose Bowl as Ducks.
But Johnson will take many hours in the weight room and a lot of work on the practice field to become a Big Ten starter. That's what a three-star rating means. It denotes a player with better-than-average talent who will take some development.
SC's "resurgence" in recruiting is fueled by players like Johnson. Their No. 1-ranked class includes 10 three-star players and 19 with ratings of 5.8 or below. It's a class built on volume rather than excellence.
Lincoln Riley still has a lot of work to do to improve on his 15-11 record over the last two seasons. The 2026 recruits won't help for a couple of years.
Meanwhile Oregon is awaiting a decision tomorrow on No. 1 recruit in the country Jackson Cantwell, a 5-star tackle from Nixa, Missouri. He announces live at 11:30 a.m. PDT Tuesday. His commitment ceremony will be streamed live on YouTube, a national event in college football all by itself.
Oregon probably won't win the Cantwell sweepstakes. He's visited Georgia six times; he was there last weekend taking buddy photos with new quarterback recruit Jared Curtis.
Georgia is a tremendous football program and they've made a great pitch to him. The throw coach at Georgia (Cantwell is also a D-1 prospect in the shot put) used to coach his mother Teri Steer Cantwell when she was training for the Olympics.
The Bulldogs have an impressive track record of developing o-linemen for the NFL. Amarius Mims went in the first round in 2024. Sedrick Van Pran-Grainger went in the fifth. From 2017-2023, 11 Georgia offensive linemen were selected, including four in the first round.
This year the Lions took Tate Ratledge in the second, Dylan Fairchild was picked up by the Bengals in the third, and center Jared Wilson got taken in 95th by the New England Patriots, the end of the third round.
Bulldog offensive line coach Stacy Searels has an enviable record for development and two national championship rings. He's a first-team All-American himself, in 1987.
The Ducks have reached a level in recruiting where they're competing head-to-head with Georgia, Ohio State and Texas for premium Top-50 recruits. So far in the 2026 class they've won commitments from the No. 1 tight end Kendre Harrison and the No. 1 edge rusher Richard Wesley, two of the best.
In the next month they could add Ryder Lyons and Immanuel Iheanacho to their class, also top-tier blue-chip prospects.
Competing in that tier, though, a program is going to have losses and the losses are going to sting. Cantwell's decision is likely to be another instance of just coming close.
It's a bit like going to a dance club. A coach can shoot his shot, or take home a 7. Dan Lanning targets the 10s.