USC football recruiting round-up: Elite QB commit projected to flip to SEC school

USC will kickoff its 2024 season in Las Vegas in 79 days. Before then, the Trojans will begin Fall camp in late July. In the meantime, the program is dedicated to spending significant time and effort attracting players for the 2025 recruiting class.

USC currently holds a top-five recruiting class.

Lincoln Riley remains on pace to sign his best recruiting class as USC head coach. On3 currently ranks the Trojans’ 2025 class fourth nationally with a 92.765 composite score. Also, USC remains among the top college football programs with committed blue-chip (four-and-five-star) players. Defensive lineman Justus Terry (five-star) headlines Riley’s 2025 list of commitments.

Five-star quarterback Julian Lewis also remains committed to playing football at USC. The Carrollton (GA) prospect will visit the Auburn Tigers this weekend.

Julian Lewis’s commitment to USC remains, but Georgia is closing in.

Lewis’s visit to Hugh Freeze and company feels like due diligence. Auburn is near Lewis’s home, and the Tigers are not high on On3's Recruiting Prediction Machine (RPM). Georgia remains USC’s most significant threat, as the RPM alarmingly lists the Dawgs as the favorite (24.5%) to sign Lewis.
USC is not far behind with a 21.5% RPM metric.

Georgia lacked a 2025 quarterback commitment until Ryan Montgomery pledged to play for the Dawgs on April 17. Hopefully, Montgomery is enough for Kirby Smart to redirect his majority recruiting efforts elsewhere. But if the Dawgs stay the course on Lewis, the odds will favor a National Signing Day flip.

We'll keep our fingers crossed that Riley will remain full-throttle on turning Lewis's USC commitment into a letter of intent.

Four-star receiver lists the Trojans as a finalist for commitment.

Riley remains in the hunt to add to USC’s pipeline of prolific college football wide receivers. As such, the Trojans have made significant efforts to attract Corey Simms from Christian Brothers College HS (MO). The four-star receiver lists three finalists to land his commitment: USC, Missouri, and Penn State.

The RPM lists Missouri as the favorite to gain Simms with an overwhelming 85.8% score. The Tigers have the hometown advantage and a knack for attracting bigger wideouts. At 6-3, Simms is an ideal player for Eli Drinkwitz.

USC will continue to pursue receivers. Currently, three-star Romero Ison is Riley’s lone commitment for 2025.

A coveted Texas four-star receiver visited the USC campus.

Simms is likely off to Mizzou, but the Trojans remain in the hunt for Daylan McCutcheon. The four-star receiver from Lovejoy (TX) spoke highly of his official visit to USC. The McCutcheon family ate dinner and enjoyed good conversations at Riley’s home in Palos Verdes.

It will be interesting to see if the RPM shifts following McCutcheon’s trip to Los Angeles. USC is currently listed with 10.1% odds of adding the receiver to its 2025 class. The Texas Longhorns are the favorites with 19.4% odds. McCutcheon ranks as the 16th wide receiver and 124th overall prospect nationally.

The last significant recruiting tidbit this week is regarding a massive offensive lineman. Riley offered Elijah Vaikona of Santa Margarita (CA) on Thursday. Vaikona’s offer is notable for two reasons: He’s massive (6-8, 360) and would be a fourth-generation Trojan.