When Lincoln Riley left Oklahoma for USC, one of the hot topics of discussion was Riley’s ability to recruit the state of California.
California, along with Texas and Florida, has long been considered the recruiting hotbed for college football. USC being the biggest brand in the state and Riley’s propensity for offense created an assumption that he was going to put the state on lockdown.
Well, in the 2024 recruiting cycle, that was far from the case.
The Trojans only signed one player in On3’s top 10 from 2024. The same number that Brent Venables and the Sooners signed the state of California. In fact, Oklahoma’s signee, OL Eugene Brooks, ranked higher in On3’s California industry player rankings than USC’s top 10 signee, WR Xavier Jordan.
Meanwhile, Alabama and Oregon had multiple top-10 signees from the state.
In California’s top 20, Oregon had seven signees. USC had two. The Oklahoma Sooners also had two of the top 20 players in the Golden State. After reclassifying to the 2024 recruiting class, Davon Mitchell dropped in the rankings and finished at No. 14. Had he kept his 2025 ranking, he might have finished in the top 10 in the state.
In the 2024 Oklahoma state industry rankings at On3, Oklahoma signed six players in the top 20. For comparison in the state, Tulsa signed three players in the top 20 in Oklahoma and Oklahoma State signed two. The Sooners are dominating the state of Oklahoma and are also pulling recruits from the big three recruiting hot beds.
Lincoln Riley’s a good coach, but letting Oregon and Dan Lanning come in and dominate the state will make it difficult for the Trojans to have long-term success, especially as they head into the Big Ten. And with Alabama, Georgia, Texas, and Oklahoma also invading California recruiting, it’s not going to get any easier for Riley and his staff on the recruiting trail.
More: How each recruiting site ranked Oklahoma’s 2024 signees
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