USC 5-Star Recruit Christian Collins Getting Noticed in Recruiting Rankings
The USC Trojans 2026 recruiting class is one of the best in the entire country. A big reason for this is the signing of forward Christian Collins.
Christian Collins Ranked As Top Five Class of 2026 Recruit
Paul Biancardi of ESPN revealed the final rankings for 2026 recruiting class. Here is his top five.
1. Tyran Stokes, Forward
2. Jordan Smith, Guard
3. Caleb Holt, Forward
4. Cameron Williams, Forward
5. Christian Collins, Forward
The final 2026 @SCNext Top 100 player rankings are out
- ESPN (@espn) May 1, 2026
Full list by @PaulBiancardihttps://t.co/rVjoDaJ6nhpic.twitter.com/xDPRXO3z1g
Christian Collins is a 6-8, 200 pound forward out of Los Angeles, California. He is rated as a five-star recruit and ranked as the No. 5 overall player in the class of 2026 according to ESPN's recruiting database. Collins committed to USC back in March of 2026.
As a senior for St. John Bosco high school in 2025-26, Collins averaged 25.2 points, 10.3 rebounds, 3.7 assists, and 1.4 steals per game.
Collins is one of three high schools recruits in the 2026 class to sign with coach Eric Musselman and the Trojans along with four-star centers Adonis Ratliff and Darius Ratliff. Rivals ranks this class No. 3 overall in the country and No. 1 in the Big Ten. The only two teams in the country above them are the Duke Blue Devils at No. 1 and the Arkansas Razorbacks at No. 2.
USC's Incoming Transfer Class
In addition to this highly ranked recruiting class, USC also has an intriguing incoming transfer class. This gives Trojans fans even more reason to be excited about the 2026-27 team. USC added these three players in the portal. Rivals ranks all them as four-star transfers.
KJ Lewis, Guard
KJ Lewis is a 6-4, 185 pound guard that has three seasons of college basketball experience on his resume. Lewis played for the Arizona Wildcats from 2023-2025 and the Georgetown Hoyas from 2025-26. Last season with Georgetown, Lewis averaged a career high 14.9 points per game to go along with 5.1 rebounds and 2.5 assists.
Eric Reibe, Center
Eric Reibe is a 7-0, 225 pound center that played for the UConn Huskies in 2025-26 as a freshman before entering the portal. He averaged 5.9 points and 3.3 rebounds per game in 13.8 minutes per game.
Jalen Cox, Guard
Jalen Cox is a 6-3, 180 pound guard coming off three seasons with the Colgate Raiders from 2023-2026. In 2025-26, Cox averaged 17.9 points, 5.3 assists, and 5.2 rebounds per game.
USC Seeking NCAA Tournament Return
These three additions along with the incoming recruiting class, plus the return of guard Alijah Arenas provide reason for optimism. USC has failed to reach the NCAA Tournament in three straight seasons. They'll look to change that in 2026-27.
Eric Musselman has been the USC coach for the past two seasons, but he too missed the 2024 NCAA Tournament when he was the coach for the Arkansas Razorbacks. Will the Trojans be in the tournament field in 2027? Time will tell.
Their chances got even better with the recent report that the NCAA is looking to expand the field from 68 teams to 76.
Sign up to our free newsletter and follow us on Facebook, and X for the latest news.
This article was originally published on www.si.com/college/usc as USC 5-Star Recruit Christian Collins Getting Noticed in Recruiting Rankings.
Copyright ABG-SI LLC. SPORTS ILLUSTRATED is a registered trademark of ABG-SI LLC. All Rights Reserved.
This story was originally published May 1, 2026 at 5:00 PM.