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USC trolls Oregon prior to Trojans landing 5-star commitment

hunterby:Hunter Shelton•05/30/25•

HunterShelton_

USC head coach Lincoln Riley and Oregon HC Dan Lanning
© Troy Wayrynen-USA TODAY Sports

USC has made yet another splash in the recruiting world by landing a commitment from Santa Ana (Calif.) Mater Dei five-star tight end Mark Bowman, the No. 1 player at his position this cycle.

The Trojans have added the nation’s No. 15 overall prospect to a class that now once again ranks No. 1 in the On3 Industry Team Recruiting Rankings. USC hinted that big news was on the way earlier on Friday — while also taking a shot at a Big Ten rival.

Earlier this week, Oregon lost a commitment from five-star EDGE Richard Wesley, just 17 days after he announced that he was pledged to the Ducks. Wesley got Oregon head coach Dan Lanning to help announce his commitment with a video of the two jumping into a pool:

Around an hour before Bowman’s commitment, the main USC Football X account posted a clip from the movie “Anchorman”, taking a clear shot at Lanning and the commitment that lasted less than a month in Eugene:

USC keeps racking up big recruiting wins this cycle

USC has picked up multiple victories over Oregon on the recruiting trail this cycle. In February, the Trojans flipped top-100 quarterback Jonas Williams from the Ducks. Two months later, they then flipped four-star defensive lineman Tomuhini Topui from Oregon.

“My favorite things that excite me are the relationships I’ve built with Coach Riley, (Luke) Huard, and the GM Chad Bowden,” Williams told On3 upon flipping to USC. “That was an important factor for me and knowing that this offense will fit my playing style is reassuring.”

“Growing up, being from L.A. that’s always been my dream school and stuff,” Topui said of USC in an interview with Scoop Duck in March. “Especially now with Coach (Shaun) Nua, he’s always been talking to me. It’s down the street, so I might as well just take a couple visits there, see what they’re talking about. Every time I go down there it’s great vibes, picking up family vibes.”

Oregon was also a top school in Bowman’s recruitment, but he’s now locked in with the in-state school. The five-star delivered a message to top Golden State prospects after announcing his commitment.

“Come join the family. We are taking over the city! All of the talent that’s here, we gotta bring it to USC,” Bowman told On3’s Hayes Fawcett.

While there’s a ways to go in the 2026 cycle, USC continues to position itself well in the team rankings and now has 27 commitments overall. Oregon, which has seven pledges to date, currently sits at No. 10 nationally.