Tag: USC recruiting

Julian Lewis chooses Colorado after decommitting from USC

USC and Colorado are no longer in the same conference, but the two programs will be compared for the next several years because of their quarterbacks.

The Julian Lewis story has finally run its course, at least for now. Lewis, the five-star prospect who recently decommitted from USC, chose Colorado over Indiana and Georgia. He did so on the Pat McAfee Show on Thursday, as College Sports Wire noted:

The decision was largely unsurprising. Lewis had taken multiple visits to Colorado recently as well as a trip to Indiana. After he decommitted from the Trojans, he received several projections to flip to the Buffaloes.

The Carrolton, Georgia, prospect ranks as the No. 35 player nationally and No. 6 quarterback in the 2025 cycle. He was previously a five-star prospect but now sits just outside of that group, and in the quarterback rankings, he’s one spot behind Husan Longstreet, who flipped from Texas A&M to USC the same day Lewis decommitted from the Trojans.

USC was able to rebound from Lewis’s decommitment with the Longstreet flip, as College Sports Wire pointed out. Let the Lewis-versus-Longstreet comparisons begin in Boulder and Los Angeles.

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USC lands local 5-star recruit as part of new Big Ten regime

USC tennis adds yet another 5-star prospect to a young, exciting team in hopes of bringing home a Big Ten title and much more.

USC has a lot of intriguing teams on the playing fields right now. There is JuJu Watkins and the women’s basketball team. Jayden Maiava is the big story for the football team. Don’t forget a team that may have slipped under the average Trojan fan’s radar screen: men’s tennis.

While out of season, the tennis team is getting better and better this offseason. It recently landed a top recruit, five-star prospect Nathan Suh. He is a homegrown talent from Orange, Calif., and he already has USC ties.

In a recent interview, USC head coach Brett Masi touched on the connection while giving his thoughts on Suh:

“Nathaniel is a great young talent out of Southern California, who has been a top talent in the area over the course of his junior career from 12-years old to 18s– Nathaniel has a legacy of being a Trojan, and we are excited to continue that legacy as his mom was a Trojan.”

USC is keeping it in the family with this recruitment.

The incoming freshman has been impressive against other top-tier talent. Suh has a match record of 10-5 against other five-star recruits and an astonishing 8-1 record against four-star recruits.

Suh will join the Trojans in the fall.

While not as flashy as football or basketball, it is always good news for USC sports to land top talent.

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Will USC – Maryland game reshape recruiting in any meaningful way?

With USC in urgent need of significant recruiting victories across the United States, the trip to Maryland contains added layers of intrigue.

The USC football recruiting outlook — while not bad — is still not good enough. The simple reason: Oregon is better right now. Until it becomes clear that USC is matching Dan Lanning in recruiting, the successes the Trojans might accumulate are not going to add up the way they want. USC must do better, and that’s part of the backdrop to the USC-Maryland game this Saturday.

Yes, Caleb Williams was not successfully recruited by USC. He basically came to Los Angeles from Oklahoma as part of Lincoln Riley’s move, a package deal. Yet, it still remains that Caleb Williams is from the DMV. You can be sure recruits in Maryland, Virginia, and Washington, D.C., are all very much aware of USC football and will be interested in the Trojans’ game versus the Terrapins this Saturday.

USC football fans will say — and they’re right — that locking down Southern California, particularly Mater Dei, has to be priority number one for Lincoln Riley. That’s true. Yet, recruiting well across the United States will not cease to be necessary. It will still remain very important even if the Trojans begin to recruit their backyard better. This USC-Maryland game is, first and foremost, a chance for the Trojans to change the trajectory of their season. In the background, however, the recruiting angle of this contest can’t be entirely ignored.

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Who will be the USC Trojans’ next football commit?

The needle might be moving to USC for D-line prospect Floyd Boucard, who decommitted from Oklahoma and is believed to be considering USC and Miami.

While the loss to Michigan was a gut punch, USC did receive some encouraging recruiting news this past week. Many recruiting experts are naming defensive lineman Floyd Boucard as the next commitment for the Trojans.  Boucard recently decommited from Brent Venables at Oklahoma.  Boucard would be an ideal defensive tackle for D’Anton Lynn’s system.

Last week, USC picked up a commitment from 6-foot-2, 210-pound wide receiver from Utah, Jerome Myles. He boasts elite speed with a 10.36 100-meter time in his junior year.  Myles is rated as the No. 30 player in the country, the No. 7 wide receiver, and the No. 1 player in Utah according to the 247Sports rankings.  He possesses superior ball skills, legitimate track speed, and the size to be a difference maker in college with early-round NFL draft pick potential.

USC currently has 18 verbal commits from the class of 2025 which includes: Julian “JuJu” Lewis, Matai Tagoa’i, Romero Ison, Harry Dalton, Trestin Castro, Gus Cordova, Shamar Arnoux, Willi Wascher, Riley Wormley, Hayden Lowe, Elijah Vaikona, Corey Simms, Daune Morris and Tanook Hines.

Floyd Boucard would make a big and splashy new addition for the Trojans.

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South Carolina commit Jaquavious Dodd receives USC football offer

USC thinks a South Carolina commit isn’t 100-percent secured by the Gamecocks, and that there’s a chance for a flip in this case.

2025 South Carolina Gamecocks edge rusher commit Jaquavious Dodd has been offered by the USC Trojans.

According to the new player recruiting rankings from On3, edge rusher Jaquavious Dodd is one of the biggest risers in the country. The four-star, 6-foot-5 and 225 pound defensive end is ranked as the No. 98 overall prospect and No. 11 EDGE in the country.

Cody Bellaire, a national On3 Sports scout, wrote this about Dodd:

“Jaquavious Dodd is someone that On3 has been higher on than the industry. Early on in his high school career, we felt that the physical and athletic tools were there and we’ve been waiting to see them reach their full potential. Fast forward to his senior season and early returns have shown that Dodd has become a complete game wrecker. His length combined with his burst and power are rare coming off the edge. He still needs to fill out his frame and become a more complete run defender, but his ability as a pass rusher and willingness in the run game with his size and fluidity are extremely strong indicators towards future success.”

USC has a loaded defensive 2025 class which includes linebackers Jadon Perlotte, Matai Tagoa’i, Ty Jackson, defensive end Hayden Lowe, and cornerback Trestin Castro.

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Four-star USC QB target locks in commitment date

Lincoln Riley and USC are trying to continue to stack their quarterback room well into the future and provide long-term stability for the Trojans.

Four-star quarterback Helaman Casuaga from Draper (Utah) Corner Canyon plans to reveal his college commitment on Oct. 8. Casuga will choose from a list of finalists that includes the USC Trojans. Arizona, Auburn, BYU, Nebraska, Texas A&M, USC, Utah, and Washington made the final cut for the signal caller, who plans to commit on Oct. 8 at 9:30 p.m. Eastern time, 6:30 Pacific, live on the 247Sports YouTube channel.

As a sophomore at Timpview High School last season, Casuga threw for 4,135 yards and ran for 389 yards, totaling 34 touchdowns. Following his sophomore season, he transferred to Corner Canyon High School with another USC target, wide receiver Jerome Myles.

Casuaga has had an even better junior year so far with 1,607 yards, 18 touchdowns, 2 interceptions, and a 65% completion rate. On the ground he added 229 yards and 2 touchdowns through five games. USC is always trying to find the next brilliant quarterback and create a line of succession for Lincoln Riley, the ultimate quarterback teacher in college football. We will see if USC can continue to stack quarterbacks into the future and solidify the program for years to come.

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Four-star linebacker Nathaniel Owusu-Boateng puts USC in top six

USC is one of the final six schools for a four-star linebacker, though Notre Dame is believed to be the leader in this recruitment.

On Monday evening, four-star IMG Academy Bradenton (Florida) linebacker Nathaniel Owusu-Boateng narrowed his list of finalists to six, including the USC Trojans.

Owusu-Boateng also added Texas, Ohio State, Notre Dame, Michigan and Florida to his final list. Owusu-Boateng took official visits to USC, Notre Dame, Ohio State and Michigan during the summer official visit window and he is now scheduled to take an official visit to Texas for the Georgia game on October 19 in Austin.

Keep in mind that Owusu-Boateng is the brother of Cleveland Browns linebacker Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah, who played his college career at Notre Dame, so that could have a major influence on his commitment in the near future.

Owusu-Boateng is the No. 8 linebacker in the 247Sports Composite Rankings and is the No. 73 overall prospect. He is also the No. 11 recruit out of the talent-rich state of Florida.

Notre Dame currently sits as the On3 RPM favorite at 30.8 percent, followed by Florida at 21 percent, Ohio State at 12.9 percent, and Michigan and USC at 8.7 percent.

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USC target, a four-star defensive tackle, decommits from Oklahoma

USC could pick up a prime Oklahoma decommit and bring him to Los Angeles to play for Eric Henderson. That would be pretty sweet.

Floyd Boucard, a four-star defensive tackle from Miami Central High School, announced Monday night that he had decided to decommit from Oklahoma, which puts him back in play for USC and Lincoln Riley. That is quite a big news story in the worlds of Oklahoma and USC recruiting.

“I would like to thank the University of Oklahoma for welcoming me with open arms,” Boucard said. “It’s after much consideration, thought, and conversations with my family that I’ve made the decision to recommit and I am now reopening my recruitment to all schools.” per his social media account (on X).

Boucard also holds offers from Alabama, Georgia, LSU, Missouri, Ole Miss, Oregon, Penn State, South Carolina, USC, Miami, Florida, and Florida State.

The 6-foot-3, 315-pound interior lineman had 80 tackles, 27 tackles for loss, and 11 quarterback sacks in his junior season in Alabama before transferring to Miami Central.

The four-star defensive lineman is projected to either flip to the Miami Hurricanes or the USC Trojans.

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USC recruiting talent and poll rankings do not match up

Poll rankings do not reflect the level of talent USC has, and there are other gaps in poll rankings for other teams rated above USC.

The USC Trojans are ranked No. 15 in the Team Talent Composite that was shared by 247Sports.  What is interesting about this ranking of USC recruiting is that it doesn’t correlate with the recently released AP Poll and the US LBM Coaches Poll. Both polls have the Trojans positioned toward the bottom of the top 25 at No. 23.

It’s interesting to observe that four of the five teams trailing USC in the Top 20 Team Talent Composite rank higher than the Trojans in both polls.

Michigan, one spot behind USC in the composite, is 14 and 15 positions higher in the polls, placed in the top 10. Tennessee, two slots behind Michigan in the composite, is eight spots higher than USC in each poll.

Missouri, ranked No. 11 in both polls, surprisingly has a lower talent composite ranking than USC at No. 19.

Lastly, Ole Miss, with a talent composite ranking of No. 20, is surprisingly ranked inside the top 10 at No. 6 by both coaches and media.

The implication must be that perceptions of USC’s coaching are dragging down the poll rankings. It is a stark reminder that the national perception of USC has not caught up with its reality.  USC completely overhauled its defense that has been holding the program back the past two years (and Lincoln Riley for most of his head coaching career).

The good news for Trojan fans who hold fast to recruiting rankings is that USC has top-15 talent that will be coached by one of the most proven offensive minds in the game. The defense has been handed over to one of the hottest young coordinators in football.  We will all soon find out as the Trojans’ season kicks off in Las Vegas against the LSU Tigers.

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LSU game is a 2024 event which could resonate with USC recruits

Beating LSU could be the biggest recruiting tool of all for USC.

USC is playing first and foremost for itself and its 2024 College Football Playoff dreams against LSU. However, a win here could reverberate through the next few recruiting cycles. Consider 2026 four-star offensive tackle Felix Ojo from Mansfield (Texas) at Lake Ridge High School. He was offered by the USC Trojans back in May and things are heating up with one of the rising recruits in the class.

At 6-foot-6, 285 pounds, Ojo is ranked as the No. 8 offensive tackle in the nation and No. 7 overall prospect in the state Texas, according to the  247Sports composite

Ojo’s growing list of offers that includes Alabama, Auburn, Florida State, Florida, Missouri, Michigan, Oregon, Penn State, Tennessee, Georgia, Ohio State, LSU, Oklahoma, Texas Tech and Texas among others.

Ojo has taken visits to Oklahoma, Alabama , Georgia , Ohio State and Florida State

USC beating LSU counts mostly for 2024, but it could also get the attention of Ojo and other future recruits.

Going into his junior year of high school football, Ojo is trying to hold himself to a higher standard in both areas of blocking. “Just being more aggressive on run blocks,” Ojo said.

“This season, I’m trying to go for zero sacks let up. Also, just working more on technique and preparing myself for that college level.” Per elevenwarriors.com

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