5-Star USC Commit Is Trending Toward Unexpected Big Ten Program

Lincoln Riley and the USC Trojans reeled in one of the best quarterbacks in the 2025 recruiting class in Julian Lewis. Coming in as a five-star quarterback on 247 Sports' composite rankings, Lewis announced his verbal commitment to the Trojans during this offseason.

However, the tides might be turning now after an unexpected Big Ten rival jumped into the mix. Reports indicate that the Colorado Buffaloes and the Indiana Hoosiers could possibly flip Lewis away from USC, per Tom Loy of 247 Sports. Loy claims that he believes the Trojans are essentially out of the mix, and Indiana is ahead of Colorado if Lewis does flip.

"I do not expect him sticking with his pledge to the Trojans. Right now I give the edge to Indiana over Colorado and the field."

Although Indiana is in the Big Ten, they're not viewed as one of the elite programs like Ohio State, Oregon, or Michigan. But the Hoosiers seem to have a few tricks up their sleeves if they can poach Lewis away from USC.

Indiana doesn't have the strongest recruiting class for 2025, as they come in ranked at No. 46 in the nation. But the Hoosiers did rather well in the transfer portal being ranked No. 25, according to 247 Sports. Their current top commit is four-star quarterback Tyler Cherry out of Greenwood, Indiana.

As for Lewis, he's deemed as one of the better quarterback recruits for the 2025 recruiting class. His 6-1, 185-pound frame is nothing to gloat about, but his prowess in the pocket gives him incredible potential at the college football level.

Losing a recruit like that would be a brutal sting for Riley and the USC football program. The Trojans have received verbal commits from 10 four-star recruits, and having Lewis join that group would be a big win. However, the program may have to pull a rabbit out of the hat to keep their potential five-star commit on the team.

Riley took over as the USC head coach in 2022. With over 20 years of coaching experience, the Trojans are hopeful that Riley can get them back in title contention. He's known for being an offensive play-calling genius, but the lack of defense has hurt his teams in the past, including last season when the Trojans' defense finished 123 in the FBS defensive rankings.

After finishing with an 8-5 record last season, USC aims to get back on track and make some noise in the Big Ten. The Trojans kick off the 2024 season with an incredibly tough matchup against the LSU Tigers on September 1.

Related: 2024 College Football Rankings: Preseason AP Poll Reaction - Underrated, Overrated & Disrespected Teams

Related: Washington's Preseason Ranking Breaks 73-Year College Football AP Top 25 Poll Streak