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5-star quarterback: USC football is 'building something special' under Lincoln Riley

Class of 2026 5-star quarterback Julian Lewis was back on USC's campus last weekend

Connor Morrissette

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Class of 2026 5-star quarterback Julian Lewis was back on USC's campus last weekend.

Following the visit, the Carrolton High School (Ga.) gunslinger told 247Sports.com's Steve Wiltfong that USC is "building something special from the ground up."

"Coach Riley being the quarterbacks' coach and offensive coordinator makes USC different than a lot of programs. He’s proven, all he does is turn his quarterbacks into the best players in college football."

Lewis's visit was his second to USC's campus following a January trip.

In his first year of high school, Lewis, the No. 1 ranked QB in his class, led Carrolton to the 7A state championship game in Georgia. He threw for 4,118 yards and 48 touchdowns in 15 games. In addition to USC, Lewis has also been offered by the likes of Alabama, Georgia, Ohio State and Texas.

Since taking over as head coach at Oklahoma in 2017, Riley has coached three Heisman Trophy-winning quarterbacks in Kyler Murray, Baker Mayfield and Caleb Williams. As recent recruiting cycles show, Riley has almost exclusively targeted five-star passers and Lewis certainly fits the bill. 

2024 CLASS

USC currently has one committed recruit in its 2024 class, Oregon tight end Joey Olsen, but that number should increase soon. 

Riley has begun to aggressively recruit 2024 Mater Dei (Santa Ana, Calif.) quarterback Elijah Brown, he told SI All Trojans last week. 

Here are 12 high-profile 2024 defensive targets the Trojans are interested in. We've also published a list of six Southern California recruiting targets USC should prioritize.

- Kliff Kingsbury to USC as senior offensive analyst: Report

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Connor Morrissette
CONNOR MORRISSETTE

Senior Reporter covering USC Athletics for SI All Trojans

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