The first few seasons at USC haven't gone as planned for Lincoln Riley as he looks to lead the Trojans back to the elite tier in College Football. After his first season in Southern Cal resulted in a loss in the Pac 12 Championship, the Trojans have regressed, going 15-11 over the last two seasons. As Riley looks to return USC to its former glory, the quickest way back is to start landing elite recruiting classes.
The biggest issue during Lincoln Riley's tenure at USC was the same issue that plagued him at Oklahoma, as his teams seemingly can't play defense. After finally getting the right staff in place last season, the Trojans are finally ready to play balanced football and the results on the recruiting trail have proved it.
USC adds elite cornerback Peyton Dyer to the Nation's top ranked recruiting class
On Sunday, Lincoln Riley and his staff picked up another key recruit in this class landing cornerback Peyton Dyer.
BREAKING: Four-Star CB Peyton Dyer has Committed to USC, he tells me for @on3recruits
— Hayes Fawcett (@Hayesfawcett3) June 8, 2025
The 6’0 205 CB from Atlanta, GA was previously Committed to South Carolina
“Now that I’m a part of the real USC, I’m ready to work and build something special!”https://t.co/7pXIbf9QRf pic.twitter.com/7zd8f4hz4c
Peyton Dyer is ranked as the 274th ranked recruit in the class, the 25th ranked cornerback, and the 31st ranked player out of Georgia. Dyer joins the Nation's top ranked recruiting class as the Trojans have already landed 28 commitments before the College Football season begins.
Lincoln Riley and his staff have done an incredible job in this recruiting cycle as the Trojans are finally making the waves everyone expected to see when he took the job. If this recruiting class is proving anything its that the Trojans shouldn't struggle on defense as much as they have over the past few seasons.
The Trojans already have 4 Top-100 recruits committed on defense in CB Elbert Hill, Edge Rusher Simote Katoanga, CB Brandon Lockhart, and DL Jaimeon Winfield. The Trojans have had an issue in the past with losing commitments but, this recruiting class is clearly different and a great sign for USC fans that may have been concerned with the results under Riley.