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Oct 14, 2023; South Bend, Indiana, USA; USC Trojans head coach Lincoln Riley and Notre Dame Fighting Irish head coach Marcus Freeman chat before the game at Notre Dame Stadium. Matt Cashore-Imagn Images

USC Trojans Lose Wide Receiver Recruit Kohen Brown: Notre Dame Flip?

Originally posted on USC Trojans on SI | By Charlie Viehl | Last updated May 9, 2025 11:14 AM ET

The USC Trojans are recruiting at an elite level in the class of 2026, but four-star wide receiver commit Kohen Brown decided to re-open his recruitment on Friday, May 9.

Brown's de-commitment was revealed on social media by On3's Hayes Fawcett, making him the second prospect to back off of his commitment to USC in the class of 2026. In the fall of 2024, three-star defensive lineman Viliami Moala flipped from the Trojans to the Oregon Ducks.

"After a lot of thought and meaningful conversations with my family, I've decied to decommit fro USC. I want to sincerely thank the coaching staff and everyone at USC for all the support and belief in me. I truly appreciate everything they've done. At this point, I feel it's best for me to reopen my recruitment 100 percent. Thank you all for understanding and for the continued support - it means a lot to me," Brown posted onto social media.

Brown committed to USC on April 2, but the decision was short-lived as he changed his decision a little over a month later.

According to 247Sports' Bryan Ault, the Notre Dame Fighting Irish could be partially responsible for Brown's decision to de-commit from USC.

Notre Dame landed four-star running back Javian Osborne on May 3, and one of Osborne's first moves as a Fighting Irish commit was to begin recruiting Brown to flip to USC's rival.

According to the 247Sports Composite, Brown is the No. 97 wide receiver in the country and the No. 86 prospect from the state of Texas.

We coming brother You next #GoIrish☘️ https://t.co/b03pAx1NqQ
— Javian “JO” Osborne (@osborne__era) May 6, 2025

On the other hand, a few de-commitments are to be expected in a recruiting class with over 25 commits in May, especially as certain position groups begin to fill up.

At wide receiver, the Trojans currently have four-star Trent Mosley as well as three-stars Luc Weaver, Ja'Myron Baker, and Roderick Tezeno committed to play for USC. Brown was the fifth receiver set to join the Trojans before de-committing on Friday.

Still, the relationship between Osborne and Brown lead many to believe that a flip to Notre Dame could be imminent.

USC is no stranger to having a crowded wide receiver room. After the 2024 season, wide receivers Kyron Hudson, Zachariah Branch, and Duce Robinson all transferred out of the program after splitting reps with each other and current USC wideouts Ja'Kobi Lane and Makai Lemon.

However, Brown's de-commitment could also be a signal for good news to come in the future. The Trojans are involved in the recruitment of four-star wide receiver Ethan "Boobie" Feaster, who is set to announce his commitment on July 4. Feaster recently announced USC, LSU, Alabama, and Texas A&M as his finalists.

USC coach Lincoln Riley and general manager Chad Bowden still have a ton of momentum on the recruiting trail, despite losing a commitment from Brown. Will they replace him with Feaster or a different wide receiver? Or will the Trojans sit tight with four wide receiver commits?

This article first appeared on USC Trojans on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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