The No. 23 USC Trojans defeated the No. 13 LSU Tigers in the Modelo Vegas Kickoff Classic on Sept. 1. As the only college football game of the day, the exciting contest provided plenty of entertainment for fans and recruits across the country.

When asked if any word had been heard from any of the new players after the game, USC Trojans coach Lincoln Riley grinned.

“I haven’t turned (my phone) on yet, but it will buzz for a while if I do,” Riley said.

Four-star linebacker Madden Faraimo (2025), five-star defensive lineman Jahkeem Stewart (2026) and five-star quarterback Ryder Lyons (2025) were all on hand to witness the Trojans’ thrilling victory. All three recruits are top targets for Riley and his coaching staff. The high school prospects joined a crowd of 63,969 in Las Vegas, setting an attendance record for Allegiant Stadium.

However, Riley also notes that this win could have an impact on the recruits watching at home on TV. He spoke to reporters after the game and explained the benefits of a win like this when it comes to recruiting.

“You have recruits that are looking to the future,” Riley said. “They see the changes that we’ve made, not just this year but the last few years, and to see those changes come together and see the team play. Not just win the game, but play the way we did, you know what I mean? I’m sure everyone that watched that game could see a team that was pretty cohesive and a team that really fought and played some pretty good football in a lot of periods.”

In the 2024 team recruiting rankings, USC finished with the 17th overall class, according to the 247Sports Composite. A relatively disappointing finish by USC’s standards in 2024, the Trojans’ 2025 recruiting class already sits at No. 14 with three months remaining until the early signing period.

Faraimo is ranked the No. 5 overall player in California and the No. 7 linebacker in the country by the 247Sports Composite. USC competes with schools like Ohio State, Notre Dame and Texas for Faraimo’s commitment.

The Trojans currently have four-star linebackers Matai Tagoa’i and Jadon Perlotte signed to the class of 2025. Trojans defensive coordinator D’Anton Lynn hopes to add a top 100 prospect to an already impressive recruiting class with Faraimo.

Now that the playoff expansion is here, teams like USC and LSU can stop scheduling these big games to open the season if they no longer need a strong resume to be considered a top-four team. However, Riley and the Trojans football team ultimately benefited from the attention it attracted because it was the only game of the day.

“I think it’s an exciting game when you get a stage like that, which is rare in college football. You have one day, there’s no NFL games. There’s not much else going on, right? This was kind of our day here on one of the biggest stages, so to show up like that, I know a lot of people were watching,” Riley said.

Riley has gotten the Trojans’ 2026 recruiting class off to a strong start, already ranked No. 5 in the country. Five-star Lyons and Stewart both saw the Trojans beat the Tigers, but they’re being recruited by nearly every top program in the country.

Stewart is currently ranked No. 1 in the same 247Sports Composite, and the No. 1 player out of Louisiana may have paid extra attention to this matchup against LSU. Lyons is also a top prospect in the 2026 class as one of the top quarterback recruits in the country.

Both Stewart and Lyons have a long way to go in their recruitments, but who knows how many recruits witnessed the Trojans’ resounding victory over LSU.

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