Elite Local Cornerback Commit Brandon Lockhart Will Watch USC Closely in 2024
USC head football coach Lincoln Riley was adamant he was serious about defense and would hire a staff to basically prove it, which he did. Everything Riley said USC would do this offseason, the Trojans have.
With the new USC defensive hires not coming until December or later, they were a bit behind with developing recruiting relationships.
The coaches USC added are all dogs when it comes to recruiting, but outside of new USC DC D’Anton Lynn, none of them were spending much time recruiting southern California.
During part of December and much of January, the USC coaches were hitting up high schools around the country. They were mostly checking on 2024 and 2025 recruits. Most of the 2024 recruiting class was finished up by mid December, but Riley and staff hit many schools with top 2025 prospects.
That meant most of the 2026 recruits didn’t get school visits the last two months. Guys like 4-Star 2026 USC cornerback commit Brandon Lockhart didn’t hear from the new USC staff in January and got concerned. A visit to Georgia came during that stretch and there was a buzz about Lockhart’s imminent decommitment. There was actually a Georgia flip prediction submitted at another network.
THE LATEST
By mid February USC and Lockhart, the No. 36 overall 2026 player, began regular communication again. At that time Lockhart said he’d talked to nearly everyone at USC. At least everyone involved with his recruitment.
Lockhart has since visited USC several times this year, with the latest visit coming last Monday. Four days ago Doug Belk had Lockhart and elite four-star 2026 Rancho Cucamonga (CA) cornerback RJ Sermons visit. Both worked out for him that day and were on campus for five hours.
“I know the new coaching staff was still getting settled in early in the year,” said Lockhart. “As they got more comfortable, they finally started staying in communications with me. And I was just there a few days ago, so I got to talk with coach Belk, coach Lincoln (Riley) and coach (D’Anton) Lynn.
“We’ve definitely built a stronger relationship. I’m definitely looking forward to spending more time with them.”
Doug Belk
“He has a new corners, new players and I definitely want to see how he develops them and how they step up their game,” Lockhart said. “He’s a great coach. Got to break down some of my film with him and he gave me some tips for improvement that I could do just by myself, working on my craft. But, yeah, I like him.
“A lot of coaches like to praise you and they like to gas you up, but he kept it real,” Lockhart said. “He kept it straightforward, telling me what I need to work on, which is what you want out of a coach.”
Why USC?
It always felty like Lockhart would likely end up at USC regardless of the situation because unlike most, his mother is a USC alum. Plus he’s from Los Angeles and he grew up a USC fan. So, there was a lot going for the Trojans with Lockhart and an early commitment wasn’t surprising.
“My mom, she had a big impact knowing she was an alum there,” said Lockhart. “So that definitely played a role. And also just like the life after football part really got to me. You’re only gonna go so far when it comes to football and they really preach life after football….and always having a second plan. And I really liked the conversations they had with me about that. So, that was another big, big part.”
Scott’s Thoughts
While I wouldn’t say USC has Lockhart locked in until signing day next year, he’s still firmly committed with no plans to change his commitment status. But he will continue taking visits and will ultimately take several official visits.
When the recruiting dead period ends in late July, Lockhart will visit either Michigan State or Oregon.
One thing USC has going for it with Lockhart, is Sermons is feeling pretty strongly about USC and that could lead to a commitment at some point. He’s in no hurry to commit, but a commitment from him would be big for a variety of reasons.
USC already has commitments from 2026 cornerbacks Madden Riordan and Dominick Kelly.
What could also help USC with local guys is there will be a heavy focus on Southern California prospects in 2026. It’s a topic USC has talked about with players like Lockhart, Sermons and others.
“The 2026 class is going to be one of the best,” said Lockhart.
If you list a few top guys at each position, it provides a pretty clear perspective. TomTom Topui, Shaun Scott, Dutch Horisk, Samu Moala and Davon Benjamin are a few top 2026 local defensive targets for the Trojans.
But like others, Lockhart will watch USC closely this season to see how good they look defensively. He wants to see what Coach Belk’s guys look like on the field, how they were developed.
The post Elite Local Cornerback Commit Brandon Lockhart Will Watch USC Closely in 2024 appeared first on On3.
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