USC fans may be cautious in celebrating early commitments from highly-ranked prospects out of the Southeast after seeing three such recruits decommit over the summer, but every case is different and it's certainly significant that the Trojans reeled in another commitment from a Rivals100 prospect out of Georgia on Saturday.

This time, it's 2026 four-star defensive end Xavier Griffin, out of Gainesville, Georgia. He's ranked the No. 3 weakside defensive end and No. 73 overall national prospect in the 2026 class.

The 6-foot-4 Griffin had 50 tackles, 20 tackles for loss and 7 sacks as a sophomore for Gainesville HS.

USC already has five commitments for 2026 -- Griffin, four-star DBs Dominick Kelly (Bradenton, Florida), Madden Riordan (Sierra Canyon HS) and Brandon Lockhart (Loyola HS) along with three-star WR Ja'Myron Baker -- and ranked third national early in the process.

Just earlier this week, USC coach Lincoln Riley emphasized the recruiting momentum from the new defensive staff he sees behind the scenes.

"I think, No. 1, there is a lot of excitement around what we're doing defensively right now. I mean, some of the things that have happened there, especially in the positive early on, are real and they're going to continue to happen," Riley said. "Like I told someone earlier today, once they get a chance to see our guys coach together, they get a chance to see the development and they get a chance to build relationships with our defensive coaches longer than just a couple of months, watch and see what happens."

Watch Griffin's highlights below: