Four-star quarterback recruit Jonas Williams committed to the Oregon Ducks in August, but he recently visited the USC campus and attended their Junior Day event. Several recruits were in Southern California, including five-star wide receiver Chris Henry Jr., who is already committed to Ohio State. USC is hoping to convince several recruits in the 2026 cycle to change their commitments.
Even though the Early National Signing Day is still far off, USC is currently ranked No. 2 for the 2026 recruiting class according to On3’s Industry Rankings. Oregon holds the No. 1 spot. If USC is able to flip Williams from Oregon, they could strengthen their class and take a top recruit away from a rival.
Oregon defensive line commit Tomuhini Topui also visited USC over the weekend. Topui, a four-star recruit from Mater Dei, was joined by some of his teammates as the Trojans continue to work on improving their recruiting class.
What are the chances of Williams flipping? He chose Oregon over offers from Alabama and Ohio State, but USC could still make a strong push. Riley has a great track record of developing quarterbacks who have gone on to success in the NFL. He has also coached multiple Heisman Trophy winners, including quarterback Caleb Williams.
When Williams committed to Oregon, he mentioned his strong relationship with Ducks offensive coordinator Will Stein.
“The most important relationship is the relationship with coach Stein. Our relationship is really good. I’ve gotten to know him a lot and his family, and I fully trust spending the next four years of my life with him,” Williams said.
Oregon head coach Dan Lanning is also known as one of the best recruiting coaches in the country. Will he be able to keep Williams committed to Oregon despite Riley’s efforts?
In the 2025 recruiting cycle, USC had a commitment from quarterback Julian Lewis, but he flipped to Colorado and coach Deion Sanders late in the process. However, USC didn’t leave without a quarterback, as they flipped Husan Longstreet from Texas A&M and signed him as a five-star recruit.
Will Riley and the Trojans flip another quarterback? They hosted Williams during a big recruiting weekend that also included USC commits like four-star cornerbacks Brandon Lockhart and R.J. Sermons.
Steve Wiltfong spoke with Lockhart about the Trojans’ recruiting weekend, and Lockhart seemed excited about what’s coming.
“Today showed a real vision in real time as to what’s currently building and what could be. [If] a few more guys from today’s group decided that SC is the right place for them something extremely special could happen. We’re talking a resurgence of what once was, football dominance. Either way, we’re on that path and today made it even more exciting,” Lockhart told Wiltfong.
USC is working on building its 2026 recruiting class, which is currently ranked just behind Oregon’s.
Oregon’s top-ranked 2026 class features four-star tight end Kendre Harrison, four-star offensive tackle Kodi Greene, four-star running back Tradarian Ball, and Williams.
