USC football nabbed one of the best players in the 2025 recruiting class, in quarterback Julian Lewis. Lewis says it was USC football coach Lincoln Riley that motivated him to pick the Trojans.

“I chose USC for Coach Riley, Coach Riley has had a long run with quarterbacks,” Lewis said. “He's had a good thing with all the Heisman trophies and stuff like that. That's hard to skip over as a quarterback. That's what got me.”

Lewis actually has visited some other schools since his commitment, including Auburn. He remains committed to the Trojans, he said. The young gunslinger is a five star recruit, and ranked no. 16 in the 247 Sports 2025 class player rankings.

USC football in 2024

Southern California Trojans head coach Lincoln Riley reacts in the second half against the Louisville Cardinals during the Holiday Bowl at Petco Park.
© Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

USC football is preparing to play its first season as a member of the Big Ten Conference in 2024. The Trojans had a somewhat disappointing season in 2023. The team had a high-octane offense with quarterback Caleb Williams, who went on to be the no. 1 overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft. The defense however, was a different story. USC football struggled to keep opposing offenses off the field, and the team finished the year at 8-5. The team did win the Holiday Bowl, in a 42-28 triumph over Louisville.

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Williams is now gone, along with a slew of other talented players. USC football must find a way to navigate the Big Ten with a new quarterback. The Trojans have incoming UNLV transfer Jayden Maiava to compete for that job, along with some other talents. The Trojans have more than a dozen incoming transfers, who will look to get the team back to greatness.

USC football starts their season on September 1, in a very tough game with LSU. The Trojans also play Utah State and bitter rival Notre Dame, in one of the hardest non conference slates of any team in the country. The Trojans start their conference schedule against Michigan on September 21, in what should be a memorable and thrilling contest.

What Julian Lewis is doing this season

Lewis must wait another season to join Riley and USC football, but he is certainly going to be watching the team. Lewis is the third highest ranked quarterback in the 2025 class, per 247Sports. The other two players ahead of him are Bryce Underwood and Tavien St. Clair. Both of those gunslingers are also going to power 5 programs.

Lewis is a 6-foot-1, 185 pound quarterback from Georgia. He has posted some incredible numbers in high school. The quarterback has thrown for more than 7,000 yards and nearly 100 touchdowns, per Max Preps. He has thrown only 14 interceptions, while recording more than 700 pass attempts. That's truly impressive.

The young man is currently in California, to attend the Elite 11 Finals. It is an event that brings together elite high school quarterbacks from across the country to hone their skills. Lincoln Riley will surely be watching, as the event is near the USC campus. The future certainly looks bright for both Lewis and the Trojans.