As the No. 13 USC Trojans came back to defeat the unranked Wisconsin Badgers, 2026 four-star cornerback prospect Richard Sermons was in attendance in the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. USC coach Lincoln Riley and his team secured their first Big Ten victory, and the results seem to translate into recruiting.

Four-star cornerback Richard Sermons plays for Rancho Cucamonga High School, making the Trojans his hometown team. Even further, Sermons ‘ father Rodney Sermons played his college football at USC in the mid-90’s.

On3’s Steve Wiltfong reported that Sermons and his father enjoyed their visit to the Coliseum, staying around the team and staff for an hour after the game ended.

“USC was great,” Sermons said to Wiltfong after the game. “It’s always a good family environment. What excites me about my opportunity with the Trojans is the development aspect with the great defensive coaching staff.”

After the game, Wiltfong placed a prediction for Sermons to commit to USC, joining the Trojans’ 2026 recruiting class.

One of the most coveted defensive recruits in the 2026 class, the Trojans will have plenty of competition while recruiting the Rancho Cucamonga star. Prior to visiting USC for the Wisconsin game in week five, Sermons visited the Oregon Ducks in Eugene for their week two matchup against the Boise State Broncos.

Earlier in August, On3’s Chad Simmons caught up with RJ Sermons about his recruitment.

“I like everything that’s new that they’re bringing in and everything that they’ve been building,” Sermons said to Simmons. “I really want to see how it comes together this year with the new defensive staff. I like coach Lincoln Riley and everything that he’s been doing to build the program up to be a winning team. I want to see how all that pays off this year during the season.”

Despite a heartbreaking loss to No. 12 Michigan, the USC Trojans hold a lot of positive momentum on the field. Trojans defensive coordinator D’Anton Lynn has already made major improvements to the USC defense, and recruits on Lynn’s side of the ball seem to notice the energy that he has brought to the program.

In the 2026 recruiting class, the Trojans currently hold six commitments. While still early, the majority of USC’s 2026 class is made up of defensive recruits. Should Sermons commit to the Trojans, he would join four-star cornerback commit Brandon Lockhart in the defensive backfield.

In addition to USC and Oregon, Sermons holds offers from schools such as Georgia, Texas, Oklahoma, Alabama, Penn State, Utah, UCLA, and others.

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