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Rancho Cucamonga (Calif.) 2028 four-star tight end Jaylin Smalls is set to make a return visit to USC for its season opener against San José State.
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Smalls, the No. 186 overall prospect and No. 10 tight end according to 247Sports, is a top target for the Trojans in the 2028 class. Smalls worked out at USC in June during the invite-only camp. His day ended early with an injury, but he still picked up an offer from his hometown school.
Smalls comes from the same school that produced senior safety Christian Pierce and redshirt freshman cornerback RJ Sermons. And USC has its eyes on expanding that pipeline.
The Trojans have signed a tight end from California in each of the past two recruiting cycles in Nela Tupou from Folsom (Calif.) in the 2025 class and Mark Bowman from Mater Dei (Calif.) in the 2026 class. USC holds a commitment from San Mateo (Calif.) Serra tight end Jace Cannon in the 2027 class.
Smalls looks to continue strengthening his relationship with the Trojans staff as they build on some early momentum for the four-star recruit.
2028 Recruits to Visit in Season Opener
Frisco (Texas) Lone Star three-star quarterback and USC commit Trey Wright headlines an impressive list of 2028 recruits that will be on campus this Saturday. Wright became the first commit in the 2028 class this month and will get to work on recruiting others.
After back-to-back stellar recruiting classes in the secondary, the Trojans have their eyes on securing another one. Hamilton (Ariz.) 2028 five-star cornerback Keaton Fields is set to make his first visit to Southern Cal this weekend. He will be joined by his teammates, 2027 four-star receiver and USC commit Roye Oliver and his brother, 2029 receiver Roman Oliver.
Palos Verdes (Calif.) four-star safety Jalen Flowers was a frequent visitor on campus at the beginning of the year and will be making this first of his two game day visits. Serra (Calif.) four-star defensive back Derrick Coleman also has two visits locked in for this fall.
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USC will look to make a big move for Mission Viejo (Calif.) four-star defensive back Jordan Hicks and begin shifting momentum in their direction. Orange Lutheran (Calif.) four-star safety Chauncey Washington II picked up an offer in June. His father played running back for the Trojans in the 2000s.
Long Beach Poly (Calif.) four-star athlete Zion Anderson and Servite (Calif.) four-star linebacker Allen “Cinco” Kennett V are both making their fourth visit to USC this calendar year.
Stacking Recruiting Classes
After shifting its recruiting approach in the 2026 cycle, the Trojans reeled in the No. 1 class, becoming the first non-SEC school since 2008 to do so.
The 2027 class doesn’t have the same notoriety as far as recruiting rankings because it’s a much smaller class with just 14 commitments. However, they are certainly not lacking in quality. Eight commits are ranked inside the top 100 overall prospects, including four in the top 50, according to 247Sports.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com/college/usc as California Tight End Recruit Jaylin Smalls Locks in USC Game Day Visit.
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This story was originally published August 26, 2026 at 3:00 PM.