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USC Football: Trojans D-Line Coach Opens Up About Recruiting Losses

The Trojans lost two five-star recruits this week.

Eva Geitheim

Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
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USC's football program saw two huge recruiting losses this week, as two of their three five-star recruits from the class of 2025 de-committed from the program. Defensive linemen Isaiah Gibson and Justus Terry, who both hail from Georgia and originally committed to the program on the same day in March, each de-committed this week.

After the two top prospects de-committed, Trojans defensive line coach Shaun Nua said the following on social media. "We will always respect the decisions each young men and their families make, and we wish them well. We also have faith in those in the foxhole with us, especially the warriors whom we are about to go to war with. The quest for finding the BEST TROJANS will always be the mission. Just don’t get it twisted, THIS IS STILL USC! FTFO!"

The tweet was reposted by USC football's account on X.

These are of course huge recruiting losses for the team, but especially for Nua and the defense. The Trojans' defense has notoriously struggled over the past couple of seasons, with the defense even ranking as low as 116th overall in the FBS last year.

The team has tried to turn this around, especially with the hiring of defensive coordinator D'Anton Lynn, but they will have to continue their defensive turnaround without these two-star defensive recruits.

Now, the lone five-star recruit for the class of 2025 is quarterback Julian Lewis, who is the No. 1 recruit in class. Keeping Lewis will be a top priority for the Trojans over the next year.

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Eva Geitheim

EVA GEITHEIM

Eva graduated from UCLA in 2023 with a bachelor's degree in Communication. She has been covering college and professional sports since 2022.

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