This recruitment does not feel settled. USC will have to clear more hurdles.
Announcing that he will be reclassifying to the 2025 recruiting class, Julian Lewis, the 6-1, 185-pound quarterback from Carrollton, Georgia, will see his recruitment heat up again.
Lewis committed to USC last year in August, choosing the Trojans over Georgia, Alabama, Ohio State, LSU, Oregon, and Texas A&M. He made it clear that Lincoln Riley’s history with quarterbacks was the deciding factor. Riley, who is only 40 years old, has already coached three Heisman Trophy-winning quarterbacks: Baker Mayfield, Kyler Murray, and Caleb Williams. The first two were also the first overall picks in the NFL draft, and Williams is expected to join them.
LSU has moved on and secured the commitment of the No. 1 recruit and quarterback in the 247Sports composite rankings, Bryce Underwood. Ohio State, a Big Ten rival, signed the No. 4 quarterback in the 2024 class, Air Noland, and the Buckeyes already have an elite 2025 quarterback commit in Tavien St. Clair. Elite quarterbacks do not sign in pairs, so these two schools are out of the running.
That leaves two other schools Lewis has visited twice since committing to USC: Georgia and Alabama. Lewis is from Georgia, and the Bulldogs are in need of an elite quarterback after Dylan Raiola flipped his commitment on signing day and signed with his father’s alma mater, Nebraska. While Alabama signed the top quarterback in the 2024 class, Julian Sayin, the Tide will likely still be in the market for another signal-caller in the 2025 class.
Julian and his family are very familiar with the local powerhouses that will pursue him until early signing day in December, and he chose USC. Perhaps the words of Julian’s father, TC Lewis, will help to ease concerns in Troy.
In an interview with 247Sports last summer, TC explained: “If Lincoln Riley doesn’t go [to an SEC team], it’s not an option. With the word of NIL and that school academically and everything LA can bring and seeing the type focus Caleb has had and talking to Caleb’s dad about it, there is nowhere else to go. It seems like the smart move.”
It is often said that actions speak louder than words. Julian Lewis has a 25-3 record as the starting quarterback at Carrollton High School, but there have been rumors that he may transfer to Mater Dei or St. John Bosco in Southern California. While his father’s words are reassuring to Trojan fans, a move out west would certainly secure his son’s commitment to Lincoln Riley’s program. However, there is no guarantee this will happen. Dylan Raiola, who played high school football in Chandler, Arizona, transferred to Georgia to play his senior year, and we know how that ended.
The one thing you can always rely on in high school recruiting: it’s fluid. So buckle up, Trojans; it might be a bumpy ride.
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