4-star edge Hayden Lowe announces commitment to Lincoln Riley's USC

The USC Trojans' recruiting caliber under head coach Lincoln Riley continues to shine, as they secured a commitment from local prospect Hayden Lowe. The four-star edge rusher from Oaks Christian High School in Westlake Village, California, announced his decision to join the Trojans.

Hayden Lowe is ranked No. 214 overall in the 2025 class according to the On3 Industry Ranking. He holds the No. 24 spot among edge rushers nationally and is the 19th top recruit in California. Rivals place him as the 12th-best weakside defensive end in the class and the 26th best player in the state, while 247Sports views him as the 19th best edge rusher and the 23rd best player in California.

Lowe's recruitment journey included an official visit to USC from June 7-9. He initially planned to visit Texas and Oregon before making his way to USC, but the Trojans strategically moved his visit forward. Their trick worked, as Lowe committed to USC following his visit, foregoing his planned trips to the Longhorns and Ducks.

The Trojans are now ranked fourth in the nation in the 247Sports Composite. Besides Lowe, they hold commitments from seven defensive recruits in the 2025 class, earning them the third-ranked group nationally, according to Rivals.

The program has 12 verbal commits from the 2025 class, including Justus Terry, Isaiah Gibson, Julian “JuJu” Lewis, and Drake Stubbs, among others.

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Hayden Lowe shares the reason behind committing to USC

Hayden Lowe has committed to USC turning down offers from big programs including Texas, Miami, Oregon, UCLA, Georgia, and Notre Dame, among others. USC has long been interested in him, but it wasn't until the recent overhaul of their defensive coaching staff that he saw the transformation he was looking for.

“There’s a lot better culture from the team and from new staff they brought in,” Hayden Lowe told WeAreSC.com. “They also brought a lot of new players."

"And the defense had something like four interceptions in the Spring Game So they were all getting after it…… But the energy and the culture has definitely skyrocketed since last few times I’d been there.”

Lowe first connected with the new USC staff during the Trojans’ Junior Day in January and built a strong bond with defensive coaches Shaun Nua and Eric Henderson. The interactions with Henderson also left a lasting impression on him.

"It was basically coach Henny (Eric Henderson)," said Lowe (via 247 Sports). "I heard it in his voice how much he needed me on the defensive line. He gave me the perspective of what it would be like to go there — how hard we would be working."

The California native's decision was also influenced by his strong ties to the area, as he wanted to represent his local community.