The plan had been in place for nearly two years, Lincoln Riley zeroing in on Julian Lewis as his quarterback in the 2025 recruiting class.
The coach rarely offered more than one quarterback at a time. So when Lewis committed in August 2023, it gave USC a certain stability in its upcoming class, a five-star centerpiece to build around, even as the class threatened, at various points, to come apart around him.
Yet in recent weeks, it had become clear those long-held plans — for Lewis and USC — were changing. Rumors had swirled about the Georgia prep star looking elsewhere. Then, on Saturday, Corona Centennial’s Husan Longstreet, another five-star quarterback committed to Texas A&M, was on the sideline for USC’s win over Nebraska.
By the next morning, Lewis had made his de-commitment from USC official. In almost the same breath, Longstreet flipped his commitment to the Trojans, capping a high-stakes game of musical chairs for USC, just two weeks ahead of signing day.
The loss of Lewis was the latest high-profile de-commitment from USC’s recruiting class. In the past week, USC watched as defensive lineman Hayden Lowe (Miami) and cornerback Shamar Arnoux (Auburn) flipped their commitments. Months earlier, USC had lost commitments from five-star defenders Justus Terry and Isaiah Gibson.
The addition of Longstreet, who rose rapidly up recruiting boards, is no consolation prize. The Centennial product is a dynamic dual threat who’s averaging more than nine yards per carry this season, in addition to throwing for 1,641 yards and 19 touchdowns in nine games.
USC quarterbacks coach Luke Huard was on the sideline for Centennial’s victory over Mission Viejo on Friday in the Southern Section Division 1 playoff quarterfinals. The next day, Longstreet was in attendance at the Coliseum.
He told 247 Sports on Sunday that he plans to compete for the Trojans starting quarterback job right away.
Whether he’ll be able to unseat Jayden Maiava, who will enter the offseason as the presumed starter, remains to be seen.
But Sunday’s switch at quarterback shows just how quickly future plans can change at the position.