Ascending 2028 Talent Raves About USC Coach Prioritizing Him on Recruiting Trail (Exclusive)

Ascending 2028 Talent Raves About USC Coach Prioritizing Him on Recruiting Trail (Exclusive) originally appeared on Athlon Sports.

The USC Trojans turned to the spring and summer to launch new aggressive recruiting tactics. Not just limited to building the nation's best class for 2026 either.

USC jumped at the early attempt to land one Freshman All-American representing 2028. Asher Ghioto revealed the Trojans as his newest offer Friday. The 6-foot-5, 240-pound edge rusher is fresh off delivering seven sacks and 21 tackles for a loss for The Bolles School in Jacksonville, per MaxPreps.

Ghioto hit those marks while helping guide a 10-2 mark for the Bulldogs. He's since piled an astonishing 40 scholarship offers following his breakout first season on varsity. Yet one USC assistant coach is immediately winning him over in reacting to his Trojans opportunity.

"I was super excited and Coach Eric Henderson offered," Ghioto told Athlon. "Coach Hendo is one of the best. He's proven who he is and what he does."

Ghioto adds "Hendo" raved about his style of play already right after the offer got extended.

"I'm super excited. He saw I was a good fit for USC and super excited to build a relationship with him," Ghioto said.

Ghioto likes the fact Henderson has one Super Bowl ring. "Hendo" earned the championship bling coaching Aaron Donald and the Los Angeles Rams defensive line in 2021. But Ghioto raved about Henderson's recruiting abilities too.

"They have steadily added dogs and it's all about to translate on the field," Ghioto predicted.

Henderson rose as one of the nation's top recruiters since his USC arrival in Jan. 2024. He ranks No. 2 behind Georgia defensive backs coach and former USC interim head coach Donte Williams in the 247Sports football recruiter rankings. Henderson holds the current title of the top recruiter among Big Ten Conference assistants with eight verbal commits for the 2026 class.

The 42-year-old New Orleans native is responsible for winning over Luke Wafle on June 19. Henderson grabbed more than the state of New Jersey's top prospect. USC beat out favorite Ohio State in landing the 6-foot-5, 245-pound four-star East Coast prospect.

Henderson also proved he can change the mind of recruits. He helped flipped four-star defensive lineman Tomuhini Topui. The local star from Mater Dei High in Santa Ana originally chose Oregon before pivoting to USC on April 1.

Ghioto joins Ismael Schiefer of IMG Academy as the Florida edge rushers on USC's 2028 recruiting board. The incoming sophomore Ghioto concludes he plans to make a future trip to the Land of Troy in the future.

This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jul 18, 2025, where it first appeared.