USC’s 5-Star Freshmen Already Commanding Attention From Trojans Coach

USC Trojans men’s basketball coach Eric Musselman and his staff have continued to upgrade the talent level of the program by recruiting some of the best prospects in the country, and the Trojans are bringing in three five-star recruits for the 2026 season: forwards Christian Collins and Adonis Ratliff as well as center Darius Ratliff.

With a recruiting class that features three McDonald’s All-Americans, On3 has USC’s class ranked No. 3 in the nation while 247Sports’ ranked the Trojans at No. 9 overall, likely due to the smaller size of the class.

Mar 31, 2026; Glendale, AZ, USA; Christian Collins (11) during the McDonalds All American Boys Game at Desert Diamond Arena. | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

The Ratliff twins and Collins are joining a roster that already includes a former five-star recruit in Alijah Arenas as well as prove contributors in Jacob Cofie and Rodney Rice. As a result, the five-star freshmen can afford a softer launch into college basketball instead of being relied upon as main options for USC.

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Trojans assistant coach Will Conroy recently spoke about his impressions of the Ratliff twins and Collins in a Q&A article posted by USC.

Jan 21, 2026; Los Angeles, California, USA; Southern California Trojans assistant coach Will Conroy reacts against the Northwestern Wildcats in the second half at Galen Center. | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

“Their talent and their length stand out. The Ratliff twins can do things that other guys can only dream of doing – like, you can really only create players like them on NBA 2K,” Conroy said. “Because they’ve been so much better, talented and taller than everybody, the biggest key is turning their motors on. Once they do that, their ceiling is ridiculous. They’ll be on NBA championship teams at some point.”

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“And while Christian Collins is a little bit shorter than those guys, that guy’s motor never stops. He’ll be a fan favorite because of how hard he plays. He can do a little bit of everything: he’s an offensive…

Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/uscs-5-star-freshmen-already-131747938.html

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Publish date : 2026-06-20 13:17:00

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