The volatile world of college football recruiting continues, with the first Signing Day period beginning on Dec. 4.
Case-in point the quarterback position — a spot where normally teams only take one signal-caller per cycle. Being able to lock in that sort of special talent is imperative for the health of any program.
Over the last few days, we saw some topsy-turvy movement which helped USC and Colorado out, while leaving Texas A&M out to dry.
Longtime USC QB commit Julian Lewis decided to renege on his pledge in order to verbally pledge his services to Coach Prime and the Colorado Buffaloes. There had been rumblings for months that Lewis was not exactly rock-solid in his commitment to the Trojans.
Hailing from the state of Georgia, he had heavy flirtations with Georgia, Indiana, and Colorado before ultimately deciding to head to Boulder. Lewis — a 5-star prospect — is ranked No. 2 nationally by ESPN. Lewis will enroll at the school in January, and will presumably take over for Shedeur Sanders next year. Stylistically, there are plenty of similarities between both players.
Lewis isn’t an excellent athlete, and won’t wow anyone with elite arm strength. However, he’s a smart, accurate quarterback with a tremendous feel. Like Sanders, he’s been in the spotlight much of his high school career. The big stage won’t phase him, and there’s a natural charisma that teammates gravitate towards.
Knowing that this decommitment was likely in the cards, USC flipped the script by literally flipping local QB Husan Longstreet from Texas A&M. Situated in nearby Corona, Longstreet surprised many by initially committing to the SEC program. He’s also a 5-star prospect — and ranked as the No. 2 player in California by 247Sports.
Longstreet is a true dual-threat quarterback, boasting good athletic ability and a cannon for an arm. With USC struggling big-time with local recruiting, landing a player of this ilk was a significant addition. Longstreet is good enough to compete for the starting job next year, and Lincoln Riley’s past success with quarterbacks certainly helped land the talented prep athlete.
Colorado’s recruiting class for 2025 is on the small side, with 11 current commits (as of Nov. 21). That number is expected to grow within the next two weeks. The Buffaloes usually close strong with Sanders at the helm, and several outstanding players have realistic chances of ending up in Boulder.
By landing Longstreet, USC currently has the No. 13 class in the country according to 247Sports.