"Lincoln Riley really sets OU back 15 years": USC fans react as 5-star commit RJ Sermons makes major career announcement

Five-star cornerback recruit RJ Sermons is reclassifying to the 2025 class. He will be the 25th addition to USC’s recruiting class this cycle. The standout from Rancho Cucamonga High School (California) is set to join Lincoln Riley’s program in July.

Sermons committed to USC back in December, choosing the Trojans over his top programs like Oregon, Notre Dame and Texas A&M. With his reclassification, he is expected to make an immediate impact. However, some fans remained skeptical.

"Lincoln Riley really sets OU back 15 years and then gets studs like this. OU must've reeeally had some baaad juju," a fan wrote.

USC fans react as 5-star commit RJ Sermons reclassifies

"Get ready to post that decommitment too," one netizen wrote.

"Still won't help," one added.

Sermons’ addition boosts an already loaded USC's 2025 class that includes star quarterback Husan Longstreet and top defensive lineman Jahkeem Stewart. Trojans fans expressed their excitement.

"This guy is a real trojan. He ain't going going anywhere, " a fan wrote.

"OOOHH HE ON CAMPUS FOR REAL CAMP," one exclaimed.

"Prime it's your time," a fan added.

RJ Sermons follows in the footsteps of his father, Rodney Sermons, who played for USC from 1994 to 1997, and he now joins an impressive incoming group of defensive backs that includes fellow cornerbacks Alex Graham, Trestin Castro and James Johnson. The room also features elite safeties, Stephen Miller and Kendarius Reddick.

RJ Sermons opens up about his reclassification to USC

Before his reclassification, RJ Sermons was ranked as the No. 1 cornerback in the 2026 recruiting class by On3. He also holds California's top times in the 100- and 200-meter dashes at 10.30 and 20.88 seconds.

Following two months of family discussions, Sermons reclassified to the 2025 class on Friday.

“I am extremely excited and ready to get to work with the Trojan family,” Sermons told On3. “It’s time to take the next step on my journey and continue to chase greatness."

With RJ Sermons moving to the 2025 class, USC's 2026 class still has some phenomenal cornerback commits. The cycle features five-star prospect Elbert Hill (ranked No. 1 CB by ESPN and Rivals) and four-star prospect Brandon Lockhart (ranked No. 4 CB by Rivals). The Trojans have 26 committed players in the 2025 cycle, ranking No. 2 in the nation.

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 Chaitanya Prakash