Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

Former Notre Dame recruiting target predicted to land with hated rival after heated battle this offseason with SEC blue blood

Originally posted on A to Z Sports | By Ryan Roberts | Last updated Aug 12, 2025 12:49 PM ET

Head coach Marcus Freeman and the Notre Dame Fighting Irish were able to land a commitment from 2027 Kennesaw (Ga.) North Cobb quarterback Teddy Jarrard this offseason, beating out Ohio State, Georgia, Michigan, and Penn State in the process. That was a huge catch for Notre Dame, especially considering that they cast a small net for a potential signal caller, and they landed their guy early.

Outside of Jarrard, the Fighting Irish only offered one other 2027 quarterback, and that was Shreveport (La.) Evangel Christian star Peyton Houston. While Houston said some good things about the Fighting Irish early, including taking a visit to South Bend, there just wasn’t a ton of interest on his side. It quickly became apparent that Jarrard was the much more likely target.

Throughout the offseason, we have seen Houston projected to multiple places, one prediction going to Oklahoma and the other to USC. On Monday, there was yet another prediction put in for the Trojans, a hated rival for the Irish. The staff over at Rivals were the ones who put in the pick.

Here is what they said about the latest between Houston and USC.

USC is well-positioned with the very coveted four-star 2027 passer Peyton Houston out of Shreveport (La.) Evangel. Houston returned to Los Angeles for a second time in June to privately work out for Lincoln Riley. Since Riley made the move to offer Houston in the spring, the arrow has continued to point up for the Trojans in this race.

“I always love being back there. It’s been a blessing to have the opportunity to have a private workout with Lincoln Riley – that meant a lot to me.”

If Coach Riley were able to seemingly beat out his old squad in Oklahoma, it would be a massive pickup overall. While Houston may not be the biggest quarterback of all time size wise, he is extremely talented. We will see if the Trojans can close out like many believe.

Houston is considered very highly across the majority of major recruiting platforms right now. He currently sits as the No. 126 overall player and No. 11 quarterback in the 2027 recruiting class according to the 247Sports Composite ranking. They also have him rated as the No. 6 player in the state of Louisiana, a territory known for putting out a high volume of talent.

Despite being just 5-11 and 195 pounds, Houston has been pursued by a long list of impressive suitors. Some of his top offers currently include Fighting Irish, Trojans, Georgia, Texas, Michigan, Oklahoma, LSU, Tennessee, Ole Miss, Florida, USC, Texas A&M, Penn State, Clemson, Florida State, Auburn, Colorado, Arkansas, Texas Tech, Baylor, TCU, SMU, Mississippi State, Pittsburgh, Duke, Arizona, Houston, and Purdue among others.

As a junior in 2924, Houston put together an outstanding season for Evangel Christian. Houston managed to throw for 4,480 yards and 38 touchdowns, while throwing just six interceptions and completing 70 percent of his passes. He also added another 690 yards rushing and six scores on the ground as a runner.

This article first appeared on A to Z Sports and was syndicated with permission.

More must-reads: