USC was off to a strong start in the 2025 recruiting cycle with a top-10 class and multiple five-star commits, including a pair on the defensive line — a major area of need for the Trojans as they gear up for their transition to the physical Big Ten. Following this week’s decommitments from edge rusher Isaiah Gibson and defensive lineman Justus Terry, though, coach Lincoln Riley has work to do in rebuilding the star power in his recruiting haul.
The Trojans slipped all the way to No. 15 in the team recruiting rankings with the losses of Gibson and Terry, though they still hold a commitment from prized five-star quarterback Julian Lewis, who is in the middle of Elite 11 Finals competition. He is a strong building block upon which USC can rebuild amid the disappointing turn of events.
“This stuff is not for the faint of heart,” Late Kick host Josh Pate said of USC’s string of decommitments. “You cannot recruit at the level that you have to to finish top-five in the country and go unwounded, go unscathed. You look at Kirby Smart. Kirby Smart is one of the apex predators. His program is one of the apex predators. Saban at Bama was one of the apex predators in college football recruiting. If you look at them close, it’s like seeing an old shark or an old whale; they’re covered in scars. They’re not immune. You thought Lincoln Riley was going to be immune?”
That USC picked up pledges from a pair of premier defensive talents in the first place is a sign of progress for a program that made a philosophical shift this offseason with the hire of new defensive coordinator D’Anton Lynn. The Trojans may not have sealed the deal with the top-20 overall recruits, but the team’s defensive trajectory clearly resonated with recruits from coast to coast.
“That doesn’t mean you’re going to bat 1.000,” Pate said. “Even when you get them verbally committed, you’re not going to. I would argue in the waters USC is going to have to fish in, in the conversations they’re going to have to be in, it almost lets you know you’re on the right track when you have this stuff happening to you. It’s not going to soften the blow, because I know a lot of you got your hopes up when you saw a five-star defensive lineman from the state of Georgia committing to you. This stuff’s going to happen.”
The cupboard is far from bare in this 2025 haul. Four of USC’s top five commits hail from the defensive side of the ball. Linebacker Matai Tagoa’i, safety Hylton Stubbs, cornerback Trestin Castro and defensive lineman Hayden Lowe all hold four-star status as Top247 prospects.
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“Let me give you another heads up,” said Pate. “You may not be done losing them this cycle. You just gotta keep swinging. They lose them at Georgia. They lose them at Bama. They lose them at Texas.”
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