"I just loved that": Five-star athlete Brandon Arrington reflects on Lincoln Riley's trip to his high school

USC has been a hot name for five-star athlete Brandon Arrington, with the Trojans defensive back coach Doug Belk being his primary recruiter. Lincoln Riley took the recruiting effort up a notch by visiting Arrington at Mount Miguel High School in California.

Arrington shared his excitement on X by posting a picture with Riley, captioned with these words:

"❤️💛✌🏽#Fighton."

Arrington also let his feelings about the excitement be known through an interview with 247Sports:

"I just loved that."

Being an in-state program, Arrington grew up a USC fan, which gives the Trojans an edge in his recruitment. He has visited the campus multiple times, including a memorable trip on Nov. 16, when he watched USC secure a 28-20 victory over Nebraska.

The 6-foot-0, 180-pound prospect caught 31 passes for 527 yards and five touchdowns while also rushing for a score this season. On special teams, he amassed 309 kick-return yards, while also contributing in defense with 26 tackles and an interception.

He is the No. 1 athlete in the 2026 class and the No. 2 player in California, according to the On3 Industry Ranking.

USC’s recruiting class for 2026 has Southern California-based four-star cornerbacks RJ Sermons and Brandon Lockhart committed. The Trojans this cycle rank No. 2 in the nation with seven committed players.

Brandon Arrington shares his feelings for Ohio State

Brandon Arrington has received offers from several big programs, but Ohio State is yet to send a scholarship offer to him.

“Hopefully they start recruiting me," Arrington told The Silver Bulletin. "I am really interested in Ohio State but they haven’t offered me yet.”

Arrington's interest in Ohio State grew even more following the Buckeyes' 41-21 win against No. 1 Oregon at the Rose Bowl Game on Wednesday.

“I feel like Ohio State is just a great development school. If you want to get to that next level, you would go to Ohio State. They just don’t recruit, they develop."

While Ohio State is yet to formally pursue him, Texas A&M has taken a lead in his recruitment. According to the On3 Recruiting Prediction Machine, the Aggies hold a 93.5% chance of landing Arrington, and On3’s Steve Wiltfong logged a prediction in favor of the school in October.

Ohio State’s absence in Arrington’s recruitment is surprising, but his public statements may catch the attention of Ryan Day and his staff.