Who Has No. 1 CFB Recruiting Class After Early National Signing Day? Latest Rankings

USC head coach Lincoln Riley is celebrating a huge win in the early national signing period.

Per Blair Angulo of 247Sports, the Trojans have secured the No. 1 recruiting class in 2026 after getting wide receiver Kayden Dixon-Wyatt to flip his commitment from Ohio State.

Angulo noted this marks the first time since 2008 that a non-SEC program will have the top-ranked recruiting class.

Oregon, Alabama, Notre Dame and Georgia round out the top five behind USC.

USC has a total of 35 commitments, led by 5-star offensive tackle Keenyi Pepe and 21 4-star recruits, per 247Sports' composite rankings.

Dixon-Wyatt originally announced in May he was committing to Ohio State, citing the program's history of developing wide receivers. He flipped his decision on Wednesday at the start of the early signing period, staying close to home with the Trojans.

Chris Trevino of 247Sports noted USC was "slow" to make Dixon-Wyatt a scholarship offer, waiting until he visited campus in February in what was the first major recruiting event for new general manager Chad Bowden.

Bowden told Angulo on Wednesday that the USC staff was "very strategic" in this recruiting cycle about prioritizing players in the state of California:

"Everything we do is intentional. The thought process this cycle was to go heavy on a high school class, to bring in a group we could build off of, and we were very strategic and heavy in our home state of California. We've got a great group we are fired up about. The main focus was to bring in the right kids that want to be here, and retaining the right guys that are already within these walls."

The 35 commitments for USC are the third-most for any program thus far. Only West Virginia (41) and North Carolina (38) are ahead of the Trojans.

Oregon, Alabama and Notre Dame have most 5-star commits with four each. The highest-ranked player on any of those teams is EDGE Rodney Dunham, who is 247Sports' No. 8 overall recruit.

USC's big recruiting success comes after Riley led the team to a 9-3 record this season. The nine wins are the most in a season for the Trojans since 2022 (11-3).