2024 EDGE Lorenzo Cowan commits to USC: ‘I love the way Coach Riley leads his team'

USC caught Savannah (Ga.) Jenkins three-star EDGE Lorenzo Cowan by surprise in October by extending him an offer. At that point, the 6-foot-3, 215-pound pass rusher had been committed to Kentucky for over a month.

As a result, Cowan was quickly intrigued by the Trojans. Contact gradually picked up between him and multiple USC staffers — including outside linebackers coach Roy Manning — and he made it out to Los Angeles for an official visit last weekend.

After backing off his pledge to the Wildcats following the trip, Cowan committed to the Trojans and head coach Lincoln Riley on Friday.

“I love the way Coach Riley leads his team,” Cowan told On3. “I just wanted to be a part of the culture that they have there. The people that are on the team, they all show love. You always feel love all the time and you’re in LA. It doesn’t get much better than that.”

USC offers him “the total package.” In addition to playing for one of the most iconic programs in college football, the No. 64 player in Georgia was impressed by the Trojans’ Department of Psychology and the people he met outside of the program.

Official visit to USC changed Cowan’s mind

Prior to his official, Cowan was still 100 percent committed to Kentucky. However, USC made such a strong impression on his visit that he felt like the school could be his next home. Cowan met with friends and family following his time in California and eventually realized that he wanted to return to The Golden State for the next stage of his football career.

“On the visit, my family and I were just so mind blown by the opportunity that they presented to me,” said Cowan, On3’s No. 56 EDGE in the 2024 cycle. “Once I got there and saw it for myself, saw the people and saw the possibilities that they may have at the University of Southern California, that’s what did it.”

Cowan likes USC’s coaches and their plan for him

USC’s coaching staff made it clear to Cowan that he will be playing the EDGE position and tasked with getting after the quarterback. The three-star also may drop back in coverage in certain situations.

Throughout his recruitment, Cowan built bonds with Riley, Manning and Assistant Director of Player Personnel Weston Zernechel. Manning and Zernechel helped establish the initial bond between the pass rusher and the Trojans.

“There progressively started to be more communication, day-by-day, week-by-week,” Cowan said. “We just started to build a relationship, me and coach Manning and me and Weston. It took off after a few weeks.”

That connection clearly paid off, as Cowan became USC’s second defensive commitment in two days following Savage (Minn.) Prior Lake On3 four-star defensive lineman Jide Abasiri. The newest member of the Trojans’ 2024 recruiting class is already looking forward to playing under Riley in the cardinal-and-gold.

“I love Coach Riley,” Cowan said. “He’s a really great guy. Outside of coaching, I’ve gotten the chance to really see the type of person that he is. We are very like-minded. We want to win. Coach Riley is very consistent with who he is and is a very great leader. Everyone on the team believes in him. There are no doubts about who he is. Those guys will run through a wall for coach Riley and that’s the type of team I want to be a part of.”