Four-star USC cornerback commit RJ Sermons reclassifies from 2026 to 2025
Four-star USC cornerback commit RJ Sermons reclassifies from 2026 to 2025 USC adds to its 2025 football roster through reclassification.
On Friday, USC's top-ranked 2026 recruiting class took a significant hit. However, it was for a reason most Trojans fans will be okay with: Four-star cornerback commit RJ Sermons reclassified to the 2025 cycle.
Previously, Sermons was slated to graduate from high school in December and enroll at USC in January. However, he is now set to graduate a full year early and enroll at USC this summer, ahead of the 2025 season.
Sermons is from Rancho Cucamonga, California. 247Sports Composite now ranks him as the No. 127 overall player and the No. 17 cornerback in the 2025 cycle.
Adding Sermons a year early could turn out to be beneficial for USC. The Trojans are replacing the vast majority of their secondary production from last season, so Sermons could potentially earn playing time right away this fall.
Sermons is one of two players in USC's 2025 class to reclassify from the 2026 cycle, joining defensive lineman Jahkeem Stewart. They are the first Trojans to enroll in college a full-year early since five-star quarterback JT Daniels in 2018. USC is hoping that the careers of Sermons and Stewart go better than that of Daniels, who spent six up-and-down seasons at four different schools before medically retiring from football in 2023.
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