Why we're confident USC football will sign five-star QB Julian Lewis

Julian Lewis remains atop USC's 2025 class of verbally committed football players. The Carrollton (GA) prospect pledged to Lincoln Riley last August but has yet to shut down his recruitment. Thus, the sentiment among many recruiting insiders is that Lewis will ultimately flip his commitment to another program in the coming months.

Flip speculation intensified after the quarterback completed official visits to Auburn and Colorado last month.

Photos of Lewis in an Auburn uniform and surrounded by toilet paper circulated social media, followed by a larger media blitz highlighting the prospect's Boulder trip. Coach Prime's Buffaloes pulled out all the tricks to lure Lewis to the mountains. Lewis even commented on a photo of him sitting on a throne, in a Colorado uniform, and Shedeur Sanders handing over keys.

Many Trojans fans became paranoid when they noticed Lewis removed USC mentions from his Twitter/X profile and unpinned his commitment post. Such is a common practice among high-profile, attention-seeking college football recruits. Nevertheless, I'm confident Riley will turn Lewis's commitment into a Letter of Intent come the Early Signing Day in December.

Lincoln Riley remains why Julian Lewis is committed to Troy.

Lewis has repeatedly stated that playing for Riley is the most significant variable regarding his college football commitment.

Indeed, the USC head coach has attracted and developed three Heisman Trophy winners who have turned into first-round NFL Draft picks since 2017. Riley was also why Nick Saban encouraged Jalen Hurts to transfer to Oklahoma before the 2019 season. In one season with the Sooners, Hurts finished as a Heisman runner-up and second-round NFL Draft pick.

Coach Prime recently stated that the best college football prospects seek programs enabling top NFL Draft status. Regarding college football quarterbacks, no coach has done it better than Riley. Riley's style of offense is the perfect stage for quarterbacks to accumulate top passing stats and attractive highlights.

Unless Riley leaves USC before National Signing Day or Lewis's motivation changes, I think the five-star QB will sign with the Trojans.

A shift in recruiting predictions also suggests Lewis will ultimately sign with USC. Last month, On3's Recruiting Prediction Machine (RPM) listed Georgia as a 24.5% favorite to sign Lewis versus the Trojans' 21.5% odds. The Dawgs' odds have recently dropped to 23.8%, and there is no indication Lewis plans to re-visit Georgia in the coming months.

USC's RPM odds have also fallen (19.3%), but it's a good sign the five-star prospect reconfirmed his commitment to Troy during June's Elite 11 passing competition. Lastly, wide receiver Corey Simms' recent commitment to USC is enticing to Lewis. Lewis and Simms bonded during their official visit to Los Angeles in February.