USC football was among the many teams who lined up and sent offers to Trinity Camp Hill (Pennsylvania) running back Messiah Mickens, but when it was time to decide, he opted to commit to the Penn State Nittany Lions. However, he will now be arriving in the college football scene until 2026, leaving the door technically open for the potential for him to change his heart.

Could USC football be a destination for Mickens? That's unlikely to know at the moment, but anyone hoping for that to happen will have their spirits buoyed up a little bit by what Mickens said about a recent visit with the Trojans.

“The visit was great,” Mickens said (h/t Connor Morrissette of 247sports).

“I loved the conversation with Coach [Kiel] McDonald and obviously Lincoln Riley. It was really nice. I love LA.”

Mickens might very well be just being diplomatic with his comments about getting in touch with USC football. In any case, he is one of the most anticipated football talents in the coming seasons, and USC football was only right to take its chances in trying to lure him to play for the school with an offer.

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Jay Fair next to USC logo saying "I'm a Trojan!"

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Penn State football, James Franklin, NFL Draft, Olu Fashanu, Chop Robinson, James Franklin, Chop Robinson and Olu Fashanu with Penn State football stadium in the background

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Reggie Bush (2024 image) on left. Heisman Trophy on right. In background, need Reggie Bush running with a football.

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Outside of Penn State and USC football, among the many other schools who had offers on the table for Mickens were the Alabama Crimson Tide, Duke Blue Devils, Iowa State Cyclones, Michigan Wolverines, Michigan State Spartans, Ohio State Buckeyes, Texas A&M Aggies, Virginia Tech Hokies, and West Virginia Mountaineers.

At the time of this writing, USC has three commits for the 2026 season.