Julian Lewis gave his verbal pledge to where he wants to take his talents this week.
The Carrollton (Ga.) High quarterback is the No. 1 overall prospect in the 2026 class and he plans on heading to USC. He stated his decision to pick the Trojans comes down to the head coach.
The Trojans won out over Alabama, Georgia, LSU, and Ohio State. Lewis had taken three visits to the USC campus.
It’s not hard to see why as Lincoln Riley’s success with QBs is evident. Walk-on-turned-star Baker Mayfield won a Heisman under Riley’s leadership while Kyler Murray won one after transferring. Then Jalen Hurts almost won one after transferring. And Caleb Williams just won one after transferring.
The sudden commitment announcement comes as a bit of a shock to most in the recruitment industry as Lewis has just played his second game of his sophomore career at Carrolton High School. He clearly knows where he wants to be and makes sure anybody in his class knows it before they try heading there with him to compete for the starting job.
“Coach Riley being the quarterback coach and OC makes USC different than a lot of programs,” Lewis said. “He’s proven. All he does is turn his quarterbacks into to best players in college football.”
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The 6-foot-1, 195-pound sophomore at Carrollton High School in Georgia threw for 4,118 yards, 48 touchdowns, and 12 interceptions last year. The National Freshman of the Year set a record by amassing 531 passing yards in the state finals.
After taking Oklahoma to three College Football Playoffs, USC is on a similar path as they narrowly missed the final four in Riley’s first season in 2022.
Lewis landed his first scholarship offer from Dan Mullen and Florida back in the eighth grade, but he simply cannot pass on a shot to play for Lincoln Riley.
