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Eli Lederman, ESPN Staff Writer
Lincoln Riley and USC landed the program’s highest-rated commitment in the 2026 class Saturday evening with a pledge from four-star defensive end Xavier Griffin.
The 6-foot-4, 210-pound pass rusher is the No. 21 prospect in the ESPN Junior 300 and the third-ranked defensive end in the 2026 class, per ESPN rankings. Griffin, a standout talent from Gainesville, Georgia, is the fourth-ranked recruit from the state of Florida in his class and picks the Trojans from a list of offers that includes Alabama, Georgia, Ohio State and Oregon, among others.
With his pledge, Griffin becomes the fifth and highest-ranked player committed to Riley’s 2026 class at USC. Griffin is the program’s third ESPN 300 commit in 2026, joining cornerbacks Brandon Lockhart (No. 67 in the ESPN Junior 300) and Dominick Kelly (No. 248). Wide receiver Ja’Myron Baker and safety Madden Riordan fill out the rest of the class Riley has set to join the Trojans in 2026.
Griffin tallied 54 total tackles with 15 sacks and two forced fumbles as a sophomore at Gainesville High School last fall. He commits to USC following trips to Alabama and Florida State this spring.
Griffin’s pledge marks the most significant boost yet to Riley’s 2026 class at USC. The Trojans’ 2025 ranks 24th in ESPN’s latest team rankings for the cycle following a pair of high-profile decommitments from defensive linemen Justus Terry (No. 7 in the 2025 ESPN 300) and Isaiah Gibson (No. 30) earlier this summer.
