USC 5-star QB commit Julian Lewis takes Indiana official visit

An unlikely suspect finds itself still in the mix for Carrollton (Ga.) five-star quarterback and current USC commit Julian Lewis.

For the second time, Lewis, the No. 10 overall prospect and No. 2 QB in the On3 Industry Ranking, made his way to Bloomington to visit Indiana. While the Hoosiers aren’t considered a real threat to flip him away from the Trojans, there is a special relationship that has the Big Ten program not totally out of the picture just yet.

Hoosiers quarterbacks coach Tino Sunseri has known Lewis since he was just eight years old. Sunseri is the first college coach he ever met while attending a camp at Florida State.

“The relationship,” Lewis’ father, TC, previously said to On3 of what has Indiana in the mix. “That relationship they have, the opportunity Indiana presents for him, he wants to check it out.”

New head coach Curt Cignetti, Sunseri and the new-look Hoosiers are looking to turn things around in Bloomington. While it may seem like a long shot for IU, there are real factors that Lewis and his family are taking into consideration.

“You can tell they’re trending in the right direction,” the elder Lewis said. “The coaching staff. (Offensive coordinator) Coach (Mike) Shanahan and Tino together, the offense they’re running and success they had at James Madison and all their quarterbacks put up great numbers. You wouldn’t expect what they did at James Madison and those two did a great job with the quarterbacks at James Madison.”

“That relationship with Tino is strong and I think there is trust there,” he added.

Lewis remains locked in with the Trojans

Lewis now has three other official visits on deck this month. It’s back to USC this weekend, with trips to Auburn (June 14) and Colorado (June 21) to follow. Lewis updated his recruitment earlier this week at the On3 Elite Series, an educational seminar discussing the new era of NIL and navigating life after football.

“Shoot, I’ve been to all the schools and stuff,” Lewis said. “Just going and enjoying the experience, enjoy the players and just see how I can fit in with the pack out there. Different schools in different areas, we’re going West Coast, North, we’re kind of traveling around. Just trying to enjoy the experience while I can.”

The talk surrounding Lewis’ recruitment has mostly consisted of who will be the team to flip him away from USC. While he continues to enjoy the process, the five-star continues to maintain that he’s rock solid with Lincoln Riley and Co.

“I’m still locked in with USC,” Lewis said. “That’s my spot, that’s where I’m at. I’m just running through the experience because you only get to do this one time, and everybody’s like — just enjoy what you have, enjoy the process. I’m going to go around and see how I feel with everything, but right now I’m 100 percent with USC.”