Former Notre Dame wide receiver and running back Emmett Mosley has spoken out on his son’s decision to commit to USC over the Fighting Irish ahead of the 2026 season.
Head coach Marcus Freeman has already lost out on 4-star safety Zech Fort of IMG Academy to the Georgia Bulldogs in the 2026 class and now he can add 4-star wide receiver Trent Mosley – who has been highly sought-after since breaking through at Santa Margarita High School (California) – to that list.
During his sophomore year, the youngster was named Trinity League Player of the Year after racking up 81 receptions for 1,282 yards and 11 touchdowns, along with 270 rushing yards and 15 touchdowns, before catching 61 passes for 908 yards and eight touchdowns in the most recent campaign.
During the early stages of the recruiting process, Mosley ranked as the No. 180 overall prospect, No. 30 receiver and No. 22 player in the state of California according to the On3 Industry Rankings, with Notre Dame soon becoming the favorite to land the highly sought-after Orange County product.
However, the youngster opted to commit to USC on March 11, making him the second player from Santa Margarita to do so over the last month, joining four-star edge Simote Katoanga, and it would appear there are no hard feelings from his dad’s side, regardless of the longstanding rivalry between the Trojans and Notre Dame.
In fact, Mosley Sr. – who played in South Bend from 1993 to 1996 – gave a glowing review of USC when asked for his thoughts on his son’s decision not to follow in his footsteps by joining his alma mater, telling 247 Sports that Notre Dame’s rivals actually ticked a lot of boxes for the promising youngster.
“At the end of the day, we had to put our personal rivalry feelings aside and focus on Trent,” Mosley Sr. said. “That’s what it’s always been about. So once it became an option, as parents obviously felt supportive of this being a good decision if he felt it was a good decision.”
The former Notre Dame wide receiver then added: “It’s a great school and education is important in our family. USC checks the box there and for what he wants to achieve athletically, they seem to have a system that fits his skill set.”
Trent also revealed to 247 Sports that Trojans head coach Lincoln Riley and wide receivers coach Dennis Simmons played a major role in his decision. “Our relationship grew throughout the season, plus the addition of Chad Bowden and coach Chad Savage, the relationship started to grow even more,” he said.
Mosley Sr. echoed his son’s sentiments, adding: “They really showed that he was an important part of this 26′ class and for the future of what they want to do. I think that meant a lot to him.”
It wasn’t just Trent’s dad who played sports at Notre Dame, either. His mom, Cindy Mosley, won the Hermann Trophy for the Irish in 1996 as the country’s most outstanding female soccer player after scoring a record 61 goals, and went on to make two appearances for the United States women’s national soccer team the following year.
This also isn’t the first time Mosley Sr. has watched a son move on to a past rival of Notre Dame. Emmett Mosley V, a fellow four-star recruit just like his younger brother, committed to the Stanford Cardinal over offers from schools such as Alabama, Notre Dame, UCLA, and USC for the 2024 class.
- Source: NEWHD MEDIA
