Behind the scenes of Husan Longstreet’s flip to USC and Julian Lewis’ departure to Colorado

The quarterback dominoes in the 2025 recruiting cycle were as active as any year in recent memory, and few, if any, had more of an effect than Julian Lewis.

At one time the No. 1 passer in the class of 2026, Lewis committed in August 2023 to USC and then later reclassified and moved up to 2025. Throughout his recruitment, even after he was pledged to the Trojans, Lewis visited schools like Colorado, Auburn and Indiana. The Tigers were all-in on flipping him over the summer, but it never materialized and they turned their attention to Deuce Knight.

Lewis said all the right things publicly about his pledge to the Lincoln Riley and the Trojans, but behind closed the doors the coaching staff worried that it might be left holding the bag if Lewis ultimately flipped. Over the summer and into the fall, they started making in-roads with local quarterback Husan Longstreet, who was a Texas A&M commit.

After months of pursuit, the situation finally came to a head.

“It was a tricky situation,” On3’s Steve Wiltfong said on Wednesday of the Trojans’ QB dilemma. “Husan Longstreet’s older brother was a preferred walk-on at Texas A&M. Husan committed to Texas A&M for a long time, chose the Aggies over Auburn and several others. USC wasn’t in the mix early because Julian Lewis was their top target at the position.

… He [Lewis] was committed to USC, but he continued to keep other schools warm. He continued to take other visits, and Lincoln Riley was patient with that for a long time.”

Trojans had a decision to make on Lewis in November

After hosting Longstreet on multiple occasions privately during the season, they got him on campus for their game against Nebraska. And he ultimately wanted to be part of the class. With Lewis still an uncertainty, the Trojans took him.

That started the domino effect for the Buffaloes and others.

“He flips from the Aggies to USC, and then Lincoln Riley calls Julian Lewis and tells him they’re going in another direction at quarterback,” Wiltfong added. “He quickly announces a decommitment and then a week later, he’s in the fold for Colorado.”

The Buffs had their guy, but the Aggies ultimately had to pivot after losing Longstreet. They made a play for Michigan 2026 quarterback commit Brady Hart, who had been planning to reclassify to 2025 and join the Wolverines before they landed Bryce Underwood. Hart announced his decision not long after the fallout from Lewis and Longstreet, and the Trojans, Buffaloes and Aggies each wound up with a different QB than they’d started the season with committed.

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