Father of USC star makes big decommitment decision June 22, 2024 sport_zone27 Uncategorized 0 The 2025 commit is continuing to take official visits as a backup plan in case of any changes at USC. As Julian Lewis’ father, T.C., stood on the sidelines at the Elite 11 Finals at Mira Costa High on Thursday afternoon, watching his son compete with some of the nation’s best quarterbacks, his phone buzzed. Amid a conversation about Lewis’ future, with college football fans eagerly following every step of the USC commit’s recruitment, T.C. answered the call. It was the father of Shamar Arnoux, a 2025 cornerback and USC target who plays with Lewis at Carrollton High in Georgia. Arnoux’s father mentioned that his son had met with Trojans head coach Lincoln Riley that morning. T.C. listened attentively. “It’s special, man,” T.C. told him. “I told you, it’s special.” Recently, in the middle of a shift in the program towards recruiting top defensive talent from the South, two highly-rated 2025 defensive line commits, Isaiah Gibson and Justus Terry, decommitted from USC. This caused a stir in the college recruiting world, dealing a major blow to a program trying to strengthen its defensive line. USC defensive line coach Shaun Nua even tweeted about “the quest for finding the BEST TROJANS.” Lewis’ father reacted calmly. “I mean, Shemar, our corner, was here yesterday – Jahkeem was here the day before,” T.C. said, referring to Jahkeem Stewart, a top-ranked 2026 defensive lineman who had visited USC recently. “I mean, we spent time with both of them. We’re just trying to help build it up, you know.” “Get Jahkeem reclassified in 2025, and you’re not worried about the guys you just lost,” Lewis’ father added. “Just play ball, man.” Since committing to USC last summer and reclassifying from 2026 to 2025 in January, Lewis has continued to take numerous official visits, which has led to speculation about the stability of his commitment. The decommitments of Gibson and Terry have further fueled rumors that Lewis might also reconsider. His departure would be a significant loss for USC, as he is seen as the future quarterback of the Trojans, having thrown 48 touchdown passes as a freshman in high school. Despite the rumors, Lewis has remained committed to USC, with his father, T.C., emphasizing their strong relationship with Riley and faith in the program’s defensive strategy. He explained that the continued visits are a way to explore college options beyond football. “A lot of this has just been, like, exploration of him as a human being besides being, like, the quarterback,” T.C. told the Southern California News Group. There’s a deeper reason for Lewis’ continued visits, which T.C. readily explains. The strength of Lewis’ commitment is based on the current stability within the program. If Riley were no longer at USC, T.C. said, his son would not be committed. T.C. has even told Riley that a call from Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones could change everything. The official visits are a contingency plan to build relationships in case there are changes at USC. This approach also considers factors beyond Riley, including NIL considerations, according to a source familiar with the situation. “Julian is committed to SC as long as they do what they said they were going to do,” the source told the SCNG. USC has not expressed any concern directly to T.C. about Lewis decommitting or asked the family to stop visiting other schools. A mutual trust has developed since Riley first asked Lewis to reclassify after his freshman year at Carrollton. The timeline has accelerated, with Lewis now facing the prospect of signing early just months after turning 17. Lewis performed well at the Elite 11, winning the competition’s Pro Day with his quick processing ability and pinpoint accuracy, competing against older players. However, the MVP award went to Alabama commit Keelon Russell. After the event, Lewis sat alone on a metal bench, wearing large headphones. That night, he posted a picture of a lion on Twitter without context, leading many Auburn fans to speculate about its meaning. “There’s a lot of people that have all the ideas in the world as to what he should do, how he should do it, why should he be doing it to this point versus that,” said Jake Heaps, head coach of the Elite 11 Finals. “And the honest truth is, he doesn’t have to be loyal to anybody at this point.” Julian LewisUSC Trojans news and updates
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