usc: Josh Pate comes to Lincoln Riley and USC’s rescue with a sarcastic remark

Lincoln Riley and the USC Trojans have come under fire recently. Besides their much-publicized rivalry discussions with Notre Dame, they've lost prospects who initially committed to Troy.

However, after the Trojans landed a commitment from Mark Bowman, the top tight end in the class of 2026 on Friday, college football insider Josh Pate defended Lincoln Riley's program with a sarcastic X post.

"Reminder: every USC commitment is irrelevant but every USC decommitment is 100% evidence of a fraudulent program," Josh Pate posted.

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Pate has been critical of Riley and the Trojans over some matters, but doesn't seem to have an issue with their recruiting prowess.

Bowman became the 27th player in Southern Cal's top-ranked recruiting class. He was also believed to be one of the top targets for recruiting and a Big Ten rival, Oregon. Riley and the Trojans have been efficient early on in the recruiting trail.

The recruiting class is led by 247 Sports' 5-star offensive tackle Keenyi Pepe, from IMG Academy. Browman also received a five-star grade from 247 and is widely considered to be the top player at his position in the Class of 2026.

But Lincoln Riley's squad has also added 16 4-star prospects and ten 3-star players in the cycle.

After a lackluster first season in the Big Ten, finishing 7-6, Riley aims to strengthen the program for the future. Southern California brought in former Notre Dame general manager Chad Bowden, a move that has paid off with several top prospects heading to Los Angeles.

USC trolls Dan Lanning over latest commitment

Oregon and USC have been in some kind of recruiting arms race. After landing tight end Mark Bowman on Friday, Southern Cal fired a shot at the Ducks, and most notably, coach Dan Lanning.

After the commitment was announced, the USC Trojans' X account posted a video with a scene from "The Anchorman", in which SC alum Will Ferrell, playing anchorman Ron Burgundy, jumps into the pool doing a cannonball.

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The video directly targets Lanning, who celebrated 5-star edge Richard Wessley's commitment by jumping into a pool. The celebration may have been premature, as the defender removed his name from the commitment list and is still considering his options.

Oregon, which also joined the Big Ten last year, had a much better debut season, going undefeated during the regular season and earning the top seed in the College Football Playoff. However, they were eliminated by Ohio State in the Rose Bowl.

About the author

Allan Wolburg Robles is a College Sports journalist at Sportskeeda with over 17 years of experience in the field writing for publications including Reforma, Yahoo! OddsShark and Apuesta. Allan studied Communications at Anáhuac University, where he learned what would become the basis of a trade that was already a dream of his before starting college.

His favorite team is Army West Point as when he was young, Allan lived in West Point for a couple of years, went to pretty much every home game, a couple of Army-Navy games and even got to meet some of the players.

Allan's favorite players of all time include Tommie Frazier, who was unbelievable during the Nebraska dynasty of the early 90's. Tim Tebow was also a favorite, mainly because of his leadership skills, although he was also awesome on the football field. As a fan of defensive football, (or what's left of it), Sean Taylor could take over a game for Miami.

Allan has always considered himself a student of the game more than a fan of it. So the historical part and evolution of the game, as well as the ins and outs of what happens on the field, and being able to put it into words for the audience, are his biggest strengths.

Besides sports, Allan enjoys reading books, watching movies and spending time with his dogs.

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Edited by Alvin Amansec