The latest USC players to decommit show that you need to walk the walk after doing the talking

USC has seen two five-star players decommit from the program in the last two days. It was a blow for head coach Lincoln Riley, but what could be the reason for this? Riley has shown that he is a fantastic recruiter and can sell the vision wherever he is the head coach. However, are players starting to see that results on the field do not match the vision?

After USC's top-ten recruiting class in 2023, they dropped to No. 20 in 2024, three spots below Ole Miss. Over the past several years, Riley has always recruited at a higher level than Lane Kiffin. Despite losing those two five-star commits, the Trojans are still above Ole Miss in the 2025 team recruiting rankings.

On the field, Lane Kiffin is seeing his team's trajectory shift upwards, coming off an 11-win season in 2023. Following that, they cemented the No.1 transfer portal class and sit just outside the top 20 in 2025 team recruiting rankings per 247Sports.

Their recruiting ability is as high as it has been for some time, with Ole Miss in with commitment chances of some of the top names in 2025. That being said, the team's performance on the field in 2024 could determine its future.

Following on from some excellent recruiting, recruits will take notice if the Rebels can make the 12-team playoffs and even an SEC Championship game. The program already has the setting, the culture, and the coaching staff, all things that would want a recruit to commit to the school. They are just missing consistency in success, which isn't easy to come by.

If Lane Kiffin can guide the team to the playoffs and a top-two finish in the SEC, it follows on from a program's first 11-win season in 2023. That would enable you to show this is a place where you can achieve greatness.

On the flip side, if they don't achieve their goals this season, the Rebels may take a few steps back in recruiting going forward. NIL is another big part of recruiting, with the Grove Collective doing a great job in Oxford. Still, some players are not just swayed by money; they want success, something Ole Miss could offer after a successful 2024 season.