USC flips 2025 four-star linebacker Jadon Perlotte from Georgia

USC hits back at Georgia and brings in a very highly-rated player.

A day after having 2026 cornerback Dominick Kelly flip to Georgia, USC returned the favor with four-star linebacker Jadon Perlotte decommitting from the Bulldogs and giving his commitment to the Trojans.

Perlotte is a 6-foot-2, 215-pound linebacker who will add speed and toughness to a future USC defense. The value of landing Perlotte is significant in and of itself, but there’s a layer of meaning beyond the addition of a highly-rated player. The Trojans have been hit hard by Kirby Smart, Donte Williams, and the rest of the Georgia football coaching staff on the recruiting trail, and the loss of commits to Georgia has raised fresh questions about USC’s NIL operation. However, USC — instead of wilting in the face of Kirby’s Georgia juggernaut — has continued to go back into the belly of the beast and win some recruitments, including some flips. The Trojans are trying, and in some cases they are succeeding. Don’t think that won’t turn some heads on the recruiting trail. Don’t think that won’t underscore some truths about the quality of this new defensive coaching staff Lincoln Riley has assembled. These guys have real credibility in a way Alex Grinch never had. It matters.

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