USC football makes big move to disrupt Georgia's 2026 recruiting class

On Friday, the USC Trojans officially offered quarterback Jared Curtis a scholarship for 2026. The signal-caller from Nashville Christian School (TN) posted the news on his Twitter/X account.

Curtis is a five-star prospect who On3 ranks as the top quarterback of the 2026 football recruiting class. He’s already 6-3 and possesses a cannon for an arm, which is incredible for a junior in high school. Curtis is currently committed to play ball for Georgia, but On3’s Recruiting Prediction Machine (RPM) lists Ohio State a 52.8% favorite to sign him.

The RPM numbers are likely to shift with USC now in the fray. I also assume that the Dawgs will increase their efforts to retain Curtis’s commitment over the next several months. Either way, the young quarterback has several official visits planned during his senior season.
Alabama, South Carolina, and Tennessee have also offered Curtis a football scholarship.

Riley offering a current Georgia commit to play ball at USC is perfect, considering he’s currently competing with Kirby Smart for Julian Lewis. I briefly touched on Lewis’s situation in yesterday’s football recruiting round-up.

The Trojans’ 2026 class is currently ranked No. 2 nationally. Thus far, Riley has gained commitments from a trio of four-star and one three-star players. Much will change with the 2026 recruiting landscape over the next 12 months. However, Riley’s commitment to signing five-star quarterbacks in the next pair of recruiting classes is a shift in philosophy.

Historically, the USC head coach has fielded some of the highest-profile quarterback transfers, including Caleb Williams, Kyler Murray, and Baker Mayfield.

Riley recruited former five-star Malachi Nelson to Oklahoma before re-recruiting the quarterback to USC during the 2023 cycle. Things didn’t work out for Nelson in Los Angeles, leading to his transfer to Boise State in January. Miller Moss was also recruited to USC during the Clay Helton era and remained in place following Riley’s hire.

Moss will start for the Trojans this season with UNLV transfer Jayden Maiava as his backup.