USC Trojans football gain another commitment from a significant in-state defender

Four-star EDGE Hayden Lowe committed to play college football for the USC Trojans. Lowe's pledge is the latest in Riley's quest to round out his football program with defenders who can match his offense's production. USC beat out Miami, Oregon, and Georgia in recruiting Lowe.

Lowe's recruiting profile lists him at 6-3 and 227 lbs., but Hayes Fawcett's recent social media post lists 6-5 and 256 lbs. Either way, Hayden Lowe is another high school kid in a man's body and will be a massive human by his second year on USC's campus.

The recruiting win demonstrated Riley's prioritization of attracting high-profile, in-state players. Note that Lowe plays high school ball miles from campus at Oaks Christian.

On3's industry rankings list Hayden Lowe as the 19th-ranked recruit in California and the 24th EDGE prospect nationally. All major recruiting outlets list Lowe as a four-star recruit, but he's a prime candidate to gain a 5th start during his senior season. Either way, the USC Trojans stand to gain a dynamic young athlete with the potential to be a game-changing defender.

Of course, I remain overly cautious to guarantee that Lowe will impact the USC Trojans' future because there are no guarantees in recruiting. The early National Signing Day is several months from now. Thus, there is plenty of time for players who verbally commit to schools to reopen their recruiting later.

Conversely, Lowe is a Los Angeles kid who commented that he wanted to play for his hometown school. Moreover, Lowe told 247 Sports that Riley's changes to USC's defensive staff increased the desire to be a Trojan.

Lowe is the 13th high school prospect to commit to the USC football program for the 2025 season.