Reclassifying has become a familiar move in college football, and USC has leaned into it with a group of freshmen and near-freshmen who arrived in Los Angeles ahead of schedule.
Boobie Feaster is one of the clearest examples. The USC freshman receiver moved from the 2027 class to 2026, and he said the grind of high school football played a big part in that decision.
At DeSoto (Texas), he won state championships in two of three seasons at the 6A level, including last fall, when he played 16 games and his year stretched two weeks beyond the early signing day in December. His shortest season there was 14 games.
Feaster turned 17 a couple of days after he got to campus in late May, and USC expects him to jump right into the receiver mix. He was originally a five-star recruit and the No. 1 receiver in the 2027 class, and he arrives with the kind of profile that usually forces its way onto the field early.
That path has worked for some players who reclassified. Alabama junior receiver Ryan Coleman-Williams did it and played his freshman season at 17 in 2024 before becoming an instant star.
His head coach, Kalen DeBoer, said during SEC Media Days that he is set to graduate this December at 19 years old. Miami also doesn’t reach the national championship game last year without sophomore receiver Malachi Toney reclassifying.
Former Texas quarterback Quinn Ewers took the same route, spending one semester at Ohio State before transferring back home and finding success in Austin.
But the track record is mixed, and plenty of players are still trying to make the move pay off. Alabama redshirt junior quarterback Austin Mack has still never started a college game and has appeared in just five.
He is battling former five-star Keelon Russell for the starting job in Tuscaloosa this year. Former Oregon receiver Kyler Kasper caught six passes in four seasons and is now at BYU.
Former North Carolina five-star cornerback Tony Grimes is at his fourth school since 2020. Former LSU quarterback Colin Hurley has not found his footing in college football, and former Ole Miss quarterback Austin Simmons is hoping to find his at Missouri.
USC has already seen one reclassified player hit quickly. Jahkeem Stewart was the No. 1 overall recruit in the 2026 class before moving up two months before the early signing period in December 2024 and choosing USC.
The New Orleans native arrived with elite size and obvious physical tools, but he had not played in a live game in almost two years. Even so, he made an immediate impact and earned Freshman All-American honors while playing the entire season with a stress fracture in his foot.
Cornerback RJ Sermons followed a similar path, reclassifying from the 2026 to the 2025 class after a standout track season. He was originally a five-star recruit and the No. 1 cornerback in the 2026 class, and he got to campus just before fall camp a year ago with the understanding that his first season would be about getting ready for this one. Sermons changed his body during his first year at USC and also adjusted to college life, setting himself up to compete for a role now.
The Trojans have more than one newcomer in that mold. Tight end Mark Bowman stayed a five-star after reclassifying and is expected to be one of the highest paid freshmen this season. The Mater Dei (Calif.) product brings an advanced skillset to Los Angeles and is viewed as a day one starter.
USC also has Roye Oliver III in the mix after his own adjustment. When the Hamilton (Ariz.) four-star receiver committed to USC in March, the expectation was that he would reclassify to the 2027 class, and that happened in May.
Oliver is coming off a huge sophomore season with 92 catches for 1,839 yards and a state-record 29 receiving touchdowns. That performance earned him 2025 MaxPreps Sophomore of the Year and first team All-American honors alongside Feaster and freshman receiver Trent Mosley.
He was originally rated as a five-star recruit and a top 20 overall prospect in the 2028 class.
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