USC 5-star QB commit Julian Lewis' recruitment still 'far from over'

USC picked up a major commitment from Carrollton (Ga.) five-star quarterback Julian Lewis on Aug. 22. While Lincoln Riley and the Trojans worked hard to land the elite signal-caller’s pledge, the work only started when Lewis verbally committed.

Since he came off the board, Lewis has been the hottest flip target on the recruiting trail. Now reclassified as a 2025 prospect, he is the No. 9 player and No. 2 QB in the cycle and has the attention of nearly every school in the country.

While he remains pledged to the Trojans, Lewis has continued his recruitment by taking plenty of visits elsewhere. According to On3’s Chad Simmons, things are far from over in the race to ink Lewis come the end of the cycle.

“He’s committed, but still taking visits. What does that mean? That to me means that his commitment is far from over. Definitely not locked in and locked down with USC,” Simmons said on The Inside Scoop.

Auburn, Colorado and Georgia have all had Lewis on campus for Junior Day visits so far in 2024. Simmons also reported over the weekend that USC, Alabama and the aforementioned trio of programs are all planning to welcome Lewis back to campus in March. The competition for the Trojans remains stout heading into a busy spring.

USC still team to beat for Julian Lewis

While the buzz has been around the in-state Bulldogs or Hugh Freeze and Auburn pushing to flip Lewis, the five-star committed to USC early for a reason. He’s well aware of Riley’s history with quarterbacks and sees a path to success at the college and professional level by playing for the Trojans after high school.

“At the end of the day, it is about what Coach Riley does with quarterbacks,” Lewis told On3 upon his commitment. “Coach Riley develops quarterbacks, he really knows how to manage the room and he knows how to feature guys at that position. The track record he has with quarterbacks really made a big difference in my recruitment.”

“(Lewis) obviously still feels good about that commitment, there were some changes there in the offseason with Kliff Kingsbury leaving, going back to the NFL and other coaching changes, but I think the biggest thing that keeps Lewis committed to USC right now is Lincoln Riley — his development, history with quarterbacks,” Simmons said.

Another positive for USC’s push to lock down Lewis’ commitment is the opportunity to thrive as a star athlete in Los Angeles. His current On3 NIL Valuation sits at $994K and will likely only grow as he finishes his high school career. Still, the Trojans will have work to do as they try and fend off multiple high-profile programs over the next 10 months.

“Obviously, the LA lifestyle is intriguing to Lewis, who is really trying to capitalize on the NIL,” Simmons said. “This recruitment I think is far from over, I think there will be many trips this spring, a few in the summer and I think based on what I’ve picked up the last couple of weeks from Juju and his camp, likely won’t lock this up until maybe early in his senior season or right before his senior year starts.”