Ever since the USC Trojans lost to Oregon in the recruiting battle for offensive lineman Josh Conerly, they have won the vast majority of their recruiting fights against the Ducks. Lincoln Riley has changed the conversation relative to Dan Lanning.
The latest example emerged on Friday. USC and Riley beat out Oregon and Lanning for 6-4 receiver Ja’Kobi Lane, a four-star product from Red Mountain High School in Arizona. Oregon was viewed as the clear favorite for Lane, who was also pursued by Texas A&M, which pulled down the No. 1-ranked recruiting class for the 2022 cycle.
The college football regular season hasn’t yet started, but the Trojans keep piling up wins on the recruiting trail. Lane will join Makai Lemon and Zachariah Branch as a member of a loaded freshman class at USC in 2023. This group will help Caleb Williams next year, in what is widely expected to be his final season as a Trojan. Then these receivers will lead USC into the Big Ten Conference in 2024.
Chris Trevino of 247Sports offered more details about Ja’Kobi Lane:
The 6-foot-4, 175-pound Lane is rated the No. 374 overall prospect and the No. 49 wide receiver, according to the 247Sports Composite. He is a non-Top247 four-star prospect in the 247Sports rankings as the No. 30 wide receiver in the class. He recorded 76 receptions for 990 yards and 14 TDs in 13 games his junior year; Lane also completed two passing TDs. He has taken one official visit to Colorado State.
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