Just hours after the Trojans secured a dramatic 28-20 home victory over Nebraska, shockwaves were sent through Head Coach Lincoln Riley’s 2025 recruiting class. Five-star quarterback Julian Lewis, the fifth-ranked signal caller in the cycle per the 247Sports composite rankings, decommitted from the Trojans — after the Georgia native previously opted to head to SoCal in August 2023.

While Lewis did not announce where he will be headed, it is widely believed that he is moving toward signing for Head Coach Deion Sanders and the Colorado Buffaloes. With star senior quarterback Shedeur Sanders, Deion’s son, likely headed for the NFL Draft after this season, the Buffaloes have been aggressive in their pursuit to flip Lewis. The 17-year-old has visited Boulder four times this season, but has also flirted with other programs including Indiana and Georgia, the latter of which is just a two-hour drive from his high school.

Lewis is the third five-star and ninth player overall to pull his commitment from Riley as the Trojans continue to vastly underperform expectations with the 41-year-old at the helm. But luckily for USC’s coaching staff, the sting of Lewis’ departure would be short lived.

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Just six minutes after On3 reported that Lewis had made the decision to reopen his recruitment, it reported some much more positive news for Riley and the Trojans: Five-star quarterback Husan Longstreet, who some outlets, including 247Sports, have ranked higher than Lewis, had also flipped his commitment — opting to make the move from Texas A&M to USC.

Longstreet, who attends Centennial High School in Corona, Calif., was in attendance for his new squad’s win over the Cornhuskers on Saturday, and announced his decision in the Trojan locker room after the game, according to reporting from the Los Angeles Times.

While Lewis was the bigger name as a prospect, there is a strong argument to be made that Longstreet is a better fit in Riley’s offense. Redshirt sophomore quarterback Jayden Maiava’s first start against Nebraska was a good reminder of just how dangerous a dual-threat quarterback makes the Trojans.

In three seasons as a starter in high school, Lewis has carried the ball 65 times for 219 yards and 2 touchdowns — just 3.4 yards per carry. Longstreet, much more in the mold of Maiava or Heisman-winner and former USC quarterback Caleb Williams, is a huge threat on the ground. In two seasons starting under center, he has rushed 140 times for 1,139 yards and 13 touchdowns — 8.1 yards per carry.

Longstreet has also shown polish as a pocket passer, throwing for 4,724 yards and maintaining an impressive 43-10 touchdown-to-interception ratio across the last two campaigns.

The 2025 quarterback switch is also notable in light of criticism of Riley’s local recruiting strategy, or lack of one. Recent reporting from The Orange County Register highlighted the neglect the Trojans have shown toward top regional high schools Mater Dei and St. John Bosco, with Riley’s staff spending a lot of time recruiting in Georgia rather than pursuing top Californian prospects.

The arrival of Longstreet, the second-highest-ranked player from California in the 2025 class, in place of the Georgia native Lewis may not be a response to those concerns, but it is likely to help assuage them nonetheless. Potentially having a SoCal native as the face of the team will be meaningful to a lot of Trojan fans, and a direct rebuttal to the growing sentiment that Riley is abandoning the team’s roots.

Even with the extreme losses USC’s 2025 recruiting class has taken over the course of this season, it is still ranked 13th nationally and will provide a needed infusion of talent to this Trojan squad. While it is far from a certainty that USC will have better results next season, a quarterback room led by Maiava and Longstreet is certain to be exciting and dynamic.