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The USC football team has the #1 2026 recruiting class in the country, but it did lose a big commitment on Wednesday. Five-star linebacker Xavier Griffin committed to the Trojans back in July of 2024, which was very early for a 2026 recruit. Now, Griffin realizes that he wants to explore his options, and he is no longer committed to USC. This is a tough loss for Lincoln Riley and the Trojans.
“BREAKING: Five-Star LB Xavier Griffin has Decommitted from USC, he tells me for @on3recruits,” Hayes Fawcett said in a post. “The No. 2 LB in the ‘26 Class had been committed to the Trojans since July.”
Now, Xavier Griffin is back on the market, and he has offers from a lot of impressive schools. Griffin has been offered by Alabama, Auburn, Clemson, Florida, Florida State, Georgia, LSU, Miami, Michigan, Nebraska, Notre Dame, Ohio State, Oklahoma, Ole Miss, Oregon, Penn State, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas A&M, and many more. 247Sports has a crystal ball prediction for Griffin to land at Georgia.
Griffin is a five-star recruit, according to 247Sports. He is the #8 player in the 2026 class, the #1 LB, and the #1 player in the state of Georgia. Griffin currently attends Gainesville High School in Gainesville, GA. It would make sense for him to play for the home-state Bulldogs instead of USC.
“Multi-faceted defender with a top-flight testing profile that should offer both on- and off-ball linebacker as he can rush the passer and stack against the run while also dropping back into coverage,” Griffin's scouting report reads. “Lanky and lean at this stage, but should undergo a major physical transformation in the coming years as he’s on the younger side for the grade and equipped with larger features.”
This is a tough loss for the USC football team, as Griffin is good enough to be an immediate contributor at the Power four level.
“Fires out of both a two- and three-point stance in the blink of an eye and will get around obstacles with his slick agility and lateral quickness,” the scouting report continues. “Possesses true sideline-to-sideline range and will make stops in pursuit with his gap-closing burst. Must keep evolving and developing craft while improving play strength, but projects as a potential impact player in the Big Ten or SEC that can fit into a variety of different schemes with his athletic juice and alignment flex.”
Xavier Griffin certainly isn't a player that the USC football team wanted to lose, but this 2026 recruiting class is still stacked. The Trojans still have the #1 class in the country, according to 247Sports, and they have commitments from 28 players. USC is doing just fine on the recruiting trail.
