Lincoln Riley’s move to become the next head coach at USC has created a short-term shockwave in the college football player landscape. Players are decommitting from Oklahoma and, by the nature of the type of program Oklahoma was under Riley, those players tend to be highly sought after and highly ranked recruits. USC, which had fallen from grace well before what was essentially a lame duck career of Clay Helton, is a hot destination with Riley at the helm.
Perhaps the most poignant example of what has played out in recent days was Malachi Nelson, a five-star quarterback in the 2023 recruiting class, decommitting from Oklahoma and committing to USC.