"Don’t do it" "Riley only wins with transfers": Fans react to four-star 2027 QB Peyton Houston's USC commitment rumors

USC hasn’t secured any commitments for its 2027 recruiting class yet, but the Trojans are gaining momentum with a top prospect. On Monday, Rivals analysts Steve Wiltfong and Sam Spiegelman predicted that Lincoln Riley’s program would land four-star quarterback Peyton Houston.

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Houston is also being heavily pursued by Oklahoma, Texas, Clemson and LSU, and plans to reveal his college choice midway through his junior year.

Following Wiltfong and Spiegelman's prediction, some fans didn’t like the potential move.

"Don’t do it! Go somewhere in Texas even. From a Notre Dame fan," a netizen said.

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"Riley only wins with transfers. Just sayin," another wrote.

"Please no 😔," one wrote.

Riley signed five-star quarterback Husan Longstreet in the 2025 cycle and holds a commitment from four-star quarterback Jonas Williams in the 2026 cycle. News that Houston could join them in 2027 caused excitement among Trojans fans.

"The next great USC QB," a fan wrote.

"He’s a baller. Might be the best QB in a loaded class," one wrote.

"Fight On ✌️," another added.

Houston is the No. 8 quarterback in the 2027 class and the No. 78 recruit in the nation, according to the On3 Industry Rankings. Sonny Shipp of Geaux Tigers called him “one of the most sought-after quarterbacks in the (2027) class.”

As a sophomore in 2024, Houston threw for 4,480 yards and 38 touchdowns with a 70% completion rate and also rushed for 690 yards and seven touchdowns.

Payton Houston opens up about USC coach Lincoln Riley's appeal for him

Payton Houston first got acquainted with USC back in eighth grade during a visit to the campus and later received an offer from Lincoln Riley’s program on May 13. Trojans quarterbacks coach Luke Huard is leading his recruitment efforts in Los Angeles.

Houston unofficially visited USC in April and returned to see the Trojans once again in June by taking part in a private workout with the coaching staff. He expressed how much it meant to him to be a priority for Riley’s schools (via Rivals):

“It means a lot, it’s a blessing for sure to have Lincoln Riley to think I’m one of the top guys for him. Just the history he has with quarterbacks, Kyler Murray, Baker [Mayfield], just to name a few that I’ve watched. It means a lot and that relationship there is definitely strong too.”

Payton Houston is also very connected with four-star wide receiver Boobie Feaster, who committed to USC on July 4.

About the author

Maliha is a High School Sports news and listicles writer at Sportskeeda. A post graduate in Management Information Systems, it was her love for writing and sports which led her down the path of sports content creation. An experienced NBA and NFL writer, she covered the two sports extensively at SportsZion and SportsKnot before joining SportsKeeda.

Maliha is a huge Baltimore Ravens fan and is in awe of quarterback Lamar Jackson's dual-threat abilities. She also admires Tom Brady and her all-time favorite coach is 3-time Super Bowl champion Andy Reid. She is a big advocate of high school sports and believes that elite athletes reach a top level owing to the discipline, hard work, team dynamics, resilience, adaptability and self-confidence learnt by playing sports in high schools. Aaron Rodgers leading the Green Bay Packers to victory on his debut against the Minnesota Vikings is one of her fondest NFL memories.

Maliha places a high emphasis on accuracy in her content. She does thorough research, always double checks facts, and only uses information from most relevant and credible sources for her articles. When not writing, she likes to read history and biographical books.

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Edited by John Maxwell