Musselman lands four-star twins in statement commits

This article was originally written for the Daily Trojan, published Oct. 24, 2025.

The 7-foot Ratliff brothers passed on multiple ranked programs to come to USC.

Men’s basketball Head Coach Eric Musselman, a known strong recruiter, continued to build on his first full year of recruiting at USC with the addition of the Ratliff brothers. He is pictured during a Jan. 27 game against UCLA. (Henry Kofman / Daily Trojan file photo)

Men’s basketball Head Coach Eric Musselman kicked off his second full recruiting season for USC with a pair of 7-foot towering statements: Twins Darius and Adonis Ratliff announced their commitments Wednesday afternoon live on CBS Sports.

Darius and Adonis Ratliff — ranked No. 43 and No. 52 nationally by 247Sports, respectively — chose the Trojans over No. 15 Alabama, No. 14 Arkansas and Texas, giving Musselman his first commitments of the 2026 class and an early foundation in the frontcourt. The commitments immediately elevated USC’s 2026 class to No. 10 nationally, according to On3, and signaled Musselman’s intent to compete for elite national talent early in the cycle. 

Hailing from Archbishop Stepinac High School in White Plains, New York, the brothers reportedly had nearly 20 Division I offers each before deciding on USC.

“Coach Muss has a track record, and he’s gotten players to the league,” Darius Ratliff said in an interview with 247Sports on Wednesday. “He runs an NBA-style offense that can really help me produce at the next level. Three coaches on the staff played or coached in the NBA, which was a big thing for me.”

Earlier this fall, the twins visited USC and cited the program’s NBA-oriented system — an especially meaningful connection given their father Theo Ratliff’s notable 16-year NBA career — and the staff’s relentless communication throughout their recruitment process as major factors. The connection is also personal: Musselman was an assistant coach for the Atlanta Hawks during Theo Ratliff’s stint with the franchise in the early 2000s.

“They never stopped texting our phones. They called every day. They came to our school,” Darius Ratliff told 247Sports. “They were really consistent in our recruitment process and actually took the lead. We’ll be the first to commit, so it shows we’re a priority for them.” 

At just under 7 feet tall, Darius Ratliff projects as an ultra-adaptable force on both ends of the floor. A fluid mover with strong shot-blocking instincts, he’s equally dangerous as a finisher around the rim and rising above defenders as a vertical lob threat. Adonis Ratliff, also just under 7 feet tall, is viewed as the more skilled shooter and is more capable of stretching opponents’ defenses to open up the floor. 

Darius Ratliff’s interior physicality and rim protection balances Adonis Ratliff’s precise, soft touch while finishing at the rim, offering Musselman a modern and versatile frontcourt pairing. The twins give USC a rare combination of size, skill and mobility for the head coach’s third year helming the team.

“It felt like they wanted us most out of all the schools — [they] kept in contact every day, … showed us how they want to play on defense and offense,” Adonis Ratliff said during the CBS livestream. “We just felt the love from them, so we decided to commit to USC.” 

The commitments showcase Musselman’s recruiting efforts that landed him five-star guard Alijah Arenas in just his first full year with USC. The Trojans have already been connected to several other top recruits in the 2026 class, as Musselman hopes to help the program return from back-to-back losing seasons where it missed the NCAA Tournament.