There has been a lot of USC Trojans recruiting chatter in recent weeks about potential pledges, and no one is more likely to be flipped than Justus Terry. While USC still has a strong chance of keeping its highest-rated commit, it’s worth looking into the Trojans’ recruiting prospects if he goes elsewhere.
It’s worth noting that Terry’s commitment to USC, regarded as one of the greatest recruits in the country, came as a surprise. Since then, Lincoln Riley and his team have been battling the Georgia Bulldogs and Florida State Seminoles for him. Most recently, On3.com assigned the Bulldogs a 37% chance of flipping him.
Let’s look at our USC Trojans recruitment objectives if Terry transfers to Georgia.
Elijah Griffin, Defensive Lineman, Savannah Christian Prep (⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️)
Losing Justus Terry would obviously mean missing out on one of the nation’s top recruits. He’s a 6-foot-4, 275-pound lineman who is often regarded as a top-10 player. However, Elijah Griffin is a higher-ranked prospect.
Elijah Griffin (2023) stats: 17.5 sacks, 31 tackles for loss.
The 290-pound lineman from Savannah Christian Prep in Georgia is widely regarded as a top-five overall recruit.
More importantly, in terms of athleticism, he is a former shot put standout with an impressive vertical jump of about 35 inches. Griffin has also been quite prolific at the high school level, with a 35.5. If Terry goes to Georgia, Griffin should be USC’s top target, and he expressed interest in the program on a June visit.
Iose Epenesa, Defensive Lineman, Edwardsville High School (⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️)
Football coaches value bloodlines, in part because many of those players understand the work ethic required to compete at the highest levels. Iose Epenesa, the brother of NFL veteran A.J. Epenesa, is another defensive lineman on USC’s radar who may become a more prominent figure if Terry switches.
Epenesa is classified as a 6-foot-3 edge rusher weighing less than 240 pounds. However, one option to compensate for a weaker interior pass rush is to use edge defenders who can collapse the pocket on their own from outside. According to 247 Sports’ Gabe Brooks, Epenesa has a tremendous drive and work ethic, but as crucial is the fact that Epensa has demonstrated advanced hand usage. Plus, with the Trojans being in the Big Ten, Epensa may have more possibilities to play closer to home than when USC was in the Pac-12.
DJ Sanders, Defensive Lineman, Bellville High School (⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️)
Five-star recruits should undoubtedly be the top Trojans recruiting targets, but there are only so many, and many have already made firm commitments to rival universities. Fortunately, DJ Sanders is one of the most intriguing defensive lineman still available, and the 290-pound tackle is considering USC.
According to Hudson Standish of 247 Sports, Sanders is one of the nation’s strongest defensive lineman at the point of attack among 2025 recruits. He also understands how to employ that power in hand-to-hand fighting, regularly winning the leverage war in the trenches. Sanders, a high school multi-sport athlete, has demonstrated that there is some juice behind all that stretching.
Sanders, while not as well-known as Terry, would provide the Trojans the tools they need to develop into above-average defensive tackles at the next level.
Trajen Odom, Defensive Lineman, Weddington High School (⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️)
Even if Terry keeps to his promise, Trajen Odom is a player that USC would gain significantly from acquiring. The Trojans are already among the finalists for the 6-foot-4 defensive lineman, and it’s understandable why.
On3.com ranks Odom as the 13th best defensive lineman in the 2025 recruiting class. The North Carolina standout is targeting the West Coast, with USC, Oregon, and UCLA among the top programs on his list.
While Odom did not have impressive pass-rushing stats as a junior (4 sacks), he did record 22 tackles for loss. At the absolute least, Odom may be a long-term rotational defensive tackle at USC, with enough ceiling for him to exceed that if the Trojans land him.
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