Justus Terry decommitment leaves USC football reeling

Justus Terry gives USC another wrenching loss in a brutal turn of events.

Yuck. What an absolutely brutal 24 hours for USC football. The morning after top 2025 edge rusher Isaiah Gibson decommitted from USC, the other crown jewel in USC’s 2025 defensive line room also exited the program. Justus Terry, whom Eric Henderson seemingly flipped from Georgia, has decommitted from the Trojans, leaving USC’s future defensive line a lot thinner but, just as crucially, lending more weight to the narrative that USC is still not a big-time program the way Georgia, Alabama, and Ohio State are. The Trojans are trying to reestablish themselves as an elite program. Losing a player hurts in terms of roster development, but it also hurts in terms of national perception of the program. It’s a double whammy USC will have to overcome. It’s another obstacle for the Trojans and their staff.

Questions will be raised about USC’s NIL operation in the light of this decommitment. The very familiar issue of “overpaying for talent” will be raised. It seems hard to ignore that one of the top SEC schools likely offered a compensation package bigger than what USC brought to the table. We don’t know that for a fact — it’s speculation — but why else would an athlete who was supposedly sold on Eric Henderson’s player development credentials (Henderson coached Aaron Donald in the NFL) suddenly change his mind? It’s probably not about the coaching.

Yet, USC has made it clear that it won’t empty the bank for every prospect. Guys need to want to be at USC, and that philosophy is admirable. Yet, USC does have to play the game everyone else is playing. There must be a balance at some point. The Trojans have to find it.

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