What is the greatest USC football recruiting class of all-time?

USC football’s No. 4 recruiting class: 2012

Grade: 9/10 Class Ranking: 9th nationally | 2nd in Pac-12 Class Composition:

1 ★★★★★ 10 ★★★★ 4 ★★★

USC’s first sanctioned recruiting class was small but turned out to be mighty, producing four All-Americans.

Exceeded expectations:

The Trojans hit it big with the one five-star in the class as receiver Nelson Agholor excelled on offense, becoming an All-American, and on special teams, setting the school record for punt return touchdowns.

Four-star defensive tackle Leonard Williams also nabbed All-American honors, twice, and left USC as one of the fiercest defenders to ever wear cardinal and gold.

Three offensive linemen from the class also served with distinction. Four-star lineman Max Tuerk played at every position across the line totaling 38 career starts. Fellow four-star Zach Banner matched those 38 starts at tackle and received All-American recognition in 2016.

Three-star tackle Chad Wheeler notched 45 career starts at USC, entering the lineup as a redshirt freshman and continuing through as a starter until he earned All-American honors in 2016 as well.

Contributors:

Four-star safety Gerald Bowman transferred from junior college in 2012 but didn’t make an impact until 2014 when he started 10 games.

Four-star receiver Darreus Rogers also took some time to launch his career, but emerged as a starter in 2015 and broke out as a senior in 2016 as USC’s second-leading and most-reliable receiver.

At cornerback, Kevon Seymour produced a steady career from his four-star roots, starting 24 games.

Linebacker Scott Felix, also a four-star, managed 14 starts but saw his career cut short due to a suspension.

Three-star junior college transfer Morgan Breslin was well on his way to all-time status at USC before injury derailed his career. In 18 career starts he had 17.5 sacks.

Disappointments:

Jabari Ruffin’s career almost went to plan, but on the eve of the 2014 season when he was set to take on a starting role at outside linebacker, the four-star recruit suffered a knee injury and never returned the same. He was dismissed from the team in 2016 for undisclosed reasons.

Four-star tight end Jalen Cope-Fitzpatrick’s dismissal was more clear—he was academically ineligible for two seasons and left the team.

Meanwhile, four-star guard Jordan Simmons had an injury-plagued career and was denied a sixth-year of eligibility after he spent the 2016 season as a productive backup.