Lincoln Riley is taking over illustrious USC football program but, looking immediately ahead, which recruits could he flip from OU to the Trojans?
After the Oklahoma Sooners lost in Bedlam, head coach Lincoln Riley was emphatic in his denial of circulating rumors that he would be the next LSU head coach, saying that was untrue. He wasn’t lying — but it also left out the whole truth, which is that he’s now set to become the next USC football head coach.
Riley to USC didn’t have much steam at all prior to the news breaking on Sunday, which is to the credit of the Trojans. But now comes the next steps of what this means for the proud program trying to regain its footing and how Riley can get them back. Sure, maybe he can get Caleb Williams to join him at his new gig — but it’s more about how he can handle the recruiting trail.
Currently, Oklahoma has the No. 7 recruiting class in 2022 and No. 1 class in 2023 according to the 247Sports Composite Rankings. USC, meanwhile, is at No. 67 and No. 37, respectively. However, Lincoln Riley can change that, especially if he can flip some of his most prized commits from Oklahoma to USC.
These five players, in particular, stand out as possible recruits who Riley could flip from OU to the Trojans.
Oklahoma football recruiting: Which commits could follow Lincoln Riley to USC?
5. Raleek Brown (5-star, 2022)
Position: RB | Rank: No. 34 overall, No. 2 RB
Considering that California native Raleek Brown is the No. 2-ranked running back recruit in the 2022 class, it stands to reason that he would be highly coveted. But the current Oklahoma commit saw the Lincoln Riley news and immediately took to Twitter to raise the question of reconsidering that.
Staying home ? 👀
— RALEEK BROWN (@raleek2) November 28, 2021
If he’s already thinking about it in the immediate aftermath of the news, that makes it seem quite likely. And if Riley wants to jumpstart the Trojans offense, Brown would be a tremendous asset for him to accomplish that with.
4. Makai Lemon (5-star, 2023)
Position: ATH | Rank: No. 22 overall, No. 2 ATH
Many people are high on the upside of Makai Lemon as he makes his way to the college ranks, which would be him going to Oklahoma from his native Los Alamitos, CA as of right now. He is already an impressive athlete but analysts agree that he has the potential to further grow into his frame, which would make his versatility as a Division I recruit as both a receiver and defensive back all the more enticing.
Considering he’s from California and already has the connection to Riley — much like Brown — it wouldn’t be a stretch to say that USC could flip him given the coaching move.