Published Nov 18, 2024
More quarterback movement may still be coming in the 2025 class
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Adam Gorney  •  Rivals.com
National Recruiting Director
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@adamgorney

After the decommitment of Julian Lewis from USC and the flip of Husan Longstreet from Texas A&M to the Trojans, along with the pledge of former Florida State commit Tramell Jones to Florida, there are even more quarterback dominoes to figure out with signing day only weeks away.

Here is the latest from Rivals national recruiting director Adam Gorney.

LEWIS BACKS OFF USC PLEDGE

After being committed to USC since August 2023, the five-star quarterback from Carrollton, Ga., backed off his pledge to the Trojans on Sunday after visiting Georgia over the weekend. However, Julian Lewis is not expected to flip to the Bulldogs.

Instead, numerous sources have said that Colorado is now the front-runner in his recruitment and there is some talk that a decision could come soon, like before National Signing Day.

Lewis has a tremendous amount of respect for what second-year coach Deion Sanders has done in Boulder, he loves offensive coordinator Pat Shurmur and his NFL history and the idea of taking over for expected first-round NFL Draft pick Shedeur Sanders has become more appealing.

GEORGIA LOOKING FOR A SECOND QB

It’s clear that four-star commit Ryan Montgomery remains locked in with Georgia and he’s not afraid of competition as the Bulldogs continue their search for a second quarterback in this class.

Lewis looks like a long shot. Cal commit Jaron Sagapolutele is expected to visit this weekend but it has seemed Oregon looks like the biggest threat to flip the Ewa Beach (Hawaii) Campbell lefty four-star.

Mississippi State commit Kamario Taylor might still visit but he wants Georgia to offer his brother, Jaiden, and that hasn’t happened yet although the Bulldogs have.

And over the weekend, Stanford commit Bear Bachmeier was offered by Georgia. While Bachmeier is interested, the four-star from Murrieta (Calif.) Murrieta Valley said he didn’t really know what the plan is with Georgia yet.

There could be others – or none at all – but Georgia is making attempts at a second quarterback.

RELATED: UGA visitor reaction

MORE QUICK HITTERS

... Four-star lefty Deuce Knight recently flipped to Auburn from Notre Dame but raised some eyebrows when he showed up at Ole Miss two weekends ago for the Georgia matchup with Caleb Cunningham, who has since flipped to the Rebels from Alabama. The Lucedale (Miss.) George County standout was back at Auburn this past weekend and the feeling is while Ole Miss is definitely a massive threat, the Tigers are still in a very strong position here.

... Sagapolutele is still expected to visit Georgia this weekend and anything could happen after a weekend in Athens but the way it looks now is he either sticks with Cal (since it offered early and loyalty is big in his recruitment) or he flips to Oregon. The four-star lefty Hawaiian is a huge fan of Marcus Mariota and Dillon Gabriel and that might be too much to overcome.

... Four-star Bryce Baker has been committed to North Carolina since June 2023 and he was back in Chapel Hill over the weekend but the rumor is Penn State is trying really hard to flip the Kernersville (N.C.) East Forsyth standout. If coach Mack Brown does not retire then it’s probably unlikely and still might be a tough pull but the Nittany Lions are sniffing around this recruitment.

... Michigan might not be giving up on five-star Bryce Underwood from 30 minutes away in Belleville, Mich., even though he’s been committed to LSU since January and recently visited Baton Rouge again. But the Wolverines have reached out to Maryland commit Malik Washington. It’s not totally clear where everything stands there but Michigan is at least talking to the four-star from Severn (Md.) Archbishop Spalding.

... Wisconsin fired offensive coordinator Phil Longo on Sunday after the Badgers threw for an abysmal 96 yards in a 16-13 loss to Oregon on Saturday night and their quarterback recruiting now gets even more interesting. Four-star Carter Smith is the top target and he was at Wisconsin but one wonders without Longo and with Florida State putting on max pressure, does the coaching change help the Seminoles with the Fort Myers (Fla.) Bishop Verot standout. Wisconsin also offered four-star Virginia Tech pledge Peyton Falzone over the weekend and that one is one to watch.

... The loss of Longstreet to USC this late definitely hurts Texas A&M but it seems like two early targets to replace him – if that’s the route the Aggies go – would be Alabama five-star commit Keelon Russell from Duncanville, Texas, although that could be an impossible long shot this late, and SMU four-star pledge Ty Hawkins. The four-star who’s originally from Texas but is now playing at Bradenton (Fla.) IMG Academy told me Sunday night some recruiting staffers from Texas A&M had reached out already.