High-priority high school corner commits to USC

Though every USC football fan is focused on the upcoming 2024 season, the groundwork for future seasons is being laid on the recruiting trail. Monday, USC added a nice piece to the puzzle for the class of 2026.

Joshua Holland, a 3-star defensive back prospect from Bellflower, California announced on social media that he intends to play for Lincoln Riley's program. Though a 3-star rating might not cause too much of a stir among fans, a look at Holland's offer list should get people excited.

In addition to USC, Holland also has offers from Georgia, Oklahoma, Ole Miss, Utah, Washington, West Virginia, Missouri, Michigan State, and others. Thus, it is easy to see that Holland is a coveted prospect.

What makes Holland intriguing as a future college player is his size. Listed at 6-foot-2 and 170 pounds, he already has great measurables, and finding defensive backs with that type of height is always tough.

Rated the No. 24 corner in the nation and the No. 37 player in California, he's a great pickup for a USC program that continues to try to bring its defense up to par with its offense.

Greg Biggins, national recruiting analyst for 247Sports.com has the following scouting report on Holland:

"Holland is a talented two-way player who could end up on either side of the ball. He plays corner and receiver and has the frame and growth potential to play some safety in college as well. The corner position is primarily where he’s being recruited and he has the length college coaches covet at the position. He’s pushing 6-2, 170 pounds and is a good athlete with some natural cover instincts. He shows good ball skills and ball awareness and does a nice job breaking on the football. He needs to continue to improve his top end speed to be able to run with some of the faster receivers he’ll line up against in college but has plenty of time to do so and we like where his game is trending. He has a high ceiling because of his size, athleticism and skill set and projects as a high major Power 4 prospect with an NFL ceiling."

Though it is a long time until the 2026 recruiting class takes center stage, it is interesting to see that Riley and his staff are putting together an elite class for that cycle. Already with five commitments for 2026, the Trojans have the third-ranked class in the country at this time.

Helping that ranking is the addition of four-star defensive end, Xavier Griffin, a Georgia native who committed to USC this past weekend. Currently, he is the top recruit in the Trojans 2026 recruiting haul.

Though it will be some time before the 2026 class arrives on campus, Trojan fans should be excited about what Riley is doing on the recruiting trail in that cycle. So keep checking in with Reign of Troy for all the latest news as the Trojans continue to build their future rosters.