With the departure of star quarterback Caleb Williams to the NFL, USC is now looking at redshirt sophomore Miller Moss and UNLV transfer Jayden Maiava to takeover at QB1 as the Trojans enter the Big-10 in 2024.
Both Moss and Maiava have proven themselves at the collegiate level, and while neither are as talented as Williams, the Trojans look set at the quarterback position for the immediate future.
But what about 2025 and beyond? Lincoln Riley and the Trojan recruiting battery have that covered too. This week, Rivals.com released their recruiting rankings for high school prospects in the class of 2025, and a familiar face to Trojan fans headlined that list. Carrollton (Carrollton, GA) pro-style quarterback Julian Lewis found himself atop that list as the number one recruit in the country. The acknowledgment of Lewis' elite talent by one of the most trusted sources of football recruiting news serves as a reminder to the rest of the country that Lincoln Riley does indeed, still got it.
2024 will be the first season for Lincoln Riley in quite some time where he doesn't have an all-world quarterback. And what's even more impressive is that Julian Lewis was originally in the class of 2026. So even after reclassifying to the 2025 class, Lewis is still considered, at least to Rivals.com, the best player at his age.
Amidst all the coaching turnover on the defensive side of the ball for Riley's staff, Riley's ability to continue attracting and developing talent at the game's most important position should serve as comfort for the Trojan fan base. As long as Riley's reputation for developing quarterback talent remains intact, USC fans have one less (big) thing to worry about.
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