USC Trojans Recruit Dylan Wafle Details Commitment, Reuniting with Older Brother
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Ever since they picked up a football at a very young, Dylan Wafle and his older brother, USC freshman defensive end Luke Wafle, talked about playing together at a high level.
On Monday, June 15, it became a reality when Dylan, a three-star linebacker coming out of Avon Old Farms (Conn.), announced his commitment to the Trojans following an official visit.
"I saw that I could really get developed well as a player, and fully maximize my potential," Wafle said. "I really connected with all the coaches, coach Ekeler, coach Howard, coach Riley, coach Patterson."
Luke, a five-star recruit and the No. 1 overall prospect according to Rivals coming out of Hun School (N.J.), was the crown jewel of USC's No. 1 class in the 2026 cycle. He was a big part of the push for his little brother to join him out west.
"I definitely have a unique point of view as a recruit, just because Luke goes there," Wafle said. "He gives me all the insight, how they're looking, how he's feeling about it, and I've heard nothing but positive things. He's getting developed really well right now. It definitely made the recruiting easier, and him being there is gonna be awesome, dream come true."
Wafle's parents are big on what Southern Cal has to offer outside of football. Wafle also has multiple family members that live in Pasadena who made a push for him to come out to Southern California.
Extravagant Official Visit Weekend
USC rolled out the red carpet for Wafle as he and his family stayed at the Terranea Oceanfront Resort, a five-star hotel in Palos Verdes.
Wafle had meetings with linebackers coach/special teams coordinator Mike Ekeler and outside linebackers AJ Howard, where he told them that he was committing. He also met with defensive coordinator Gary Patterson and head coach Lincoln Riley.
"Super nice guy, charismatic, but he's got that super competitive undertone when you talk to him," Wafle said about Riley. "He's just trying to win, the whole program's locked in."
Wafle had a photo shoot and created a hype video with the creative team, where he rocked the Trojans all-white alternative jerseys that are only for recruits on their official visits.
Redshirt sophomore linebacker Elijah Newby, a Connecticut native, was one of Wafle's host over the weekend. He was also able to connect with Greenwich County Day (Conn.) five-star edge commit Mekai Brown, who was on his official visit, and several other players on the team. Wafle golfed at the resort and USC had sushi from Nobu Malibu catered.
Executive director of player personnel Max Stienecker and director of recruiting Weston Zernechel were heavily involved in Wafle's recruitment and spent the entire weekend with him.
"Those guys are awesome, great personalities, but they're insanely competitive and just hyped up for the season. They're really good at what they do," Wafle said.
Stacking Recruiting Classes
Wafle joins a loaded 2027 recruiting class for the Trojans, which features eight commits that are top 100 overall prospects according to 247Sports, second-most in the country. This comes a year after USC signed a massive recruiting class in the 2026 cycle that is loaded with elite prospects from across the country.
They became the first non-SEC school to finish with the No. 1 class since 2008 in general manager Chad Bowden's first season. Wafle spoke about what stands out to him about Bowden.
"I'd say the biggest takeaway I took on the visit was just how much he cares about the players, like all the things he does and puts in place to help players maximize their potential and that's mentally, emotionally, physically, whatever it may be," Wafle said. "He's got a bunch of programs in place, connecting with football alumni, business owners and I think he's great guy. A caring individual who's super competitive and doing anything to win."
Wafle also talked about the culture that is being built in Southern Cal as they continue to make waves on the recruiting trail.
"A national championship culture and a national championship winning team," Wafle said. "When I've talked to them, they're not playing around about it. They're super serious, I love it. They're building a really strong culture, winning culture that's super competitive, especially in the weight room, and going to practices and seeing how they compete with each other."
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This article was originally published on www.si.com/college/usc as USC Trojans Recruit Dylan Wafle Details Commitment, Reuniting with Older Brother .
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