Recruiting never takes a break, and as we move into the summer, the twists and turns start to take shape.
One of the biggest off-season surprises was the five-star DT Justus Terrythe decision to commit to USC. Terry, who holds offers from major national powers nationally, was one of the few early dominoes to tip in favor of the Trojans after Lincoln Riley tabbed Eric Henderson to be the new coach of DL.
Henderson was coming off a Super Bowl stint with the Los Angeles Rams, where he worked hand-in-hand with Canton-bound DL. Aaron Donald.
Three months later, the luster of that early USC commitment has faded. In the meantime, the Rivals250’s No. 1-ranked defensive tackle for the 2025 cycle has made a series of visits to other schools, including Georgia. Florida State and Alabama are two other notable programs that have been linked to the 6-foot-5, 275-pound interior defensive lineman from Manchester (Georgia) High School in Georgia.
After reopening his recruiting, here’s the Rivals roundtable of reactions from a national and team perspective:
“What was long predicted – that Terry loved his spring visit to USC and committed on a whim only to come home months later and realize he wanted to play somewhere in the South – East – has now come full circle as a five-star defensive end. Tackle has reopened his recruitment. Georgia is slightly closer than Alabama and Florida State, but not by a large enough margin for the distance game to be a significant factor in this decision. My current reading is that he was at Florida State last weekend and will head to Alabama to close out June, but that his best and longest-lasting connections are in Athens and at a At some point, he will recommit to the Bulldogs.
“When Terry changed his commitment from Georgia to USC shortly after his trip to Los Angeles in late March, there was some healthy skepticism that it would last until signing day. Almost immediately, it was said looked a lot like Mykel Williams, the former five-star at Georgia who did a similar thing a few recruiting cycles ago and paid off and just like Williams, who ended up playing for the Bulldogs, I did. have a feeling Terry will listen to the other schools and really like what he sees at Florida State and Alabama, but the safe bet is Georgia where he can be developed into a first round NFL draft pick and. I guess he’ll sign with the Bulldogs eventually.
–Adam Gorney, National Recruiting Director
“USC’s Eric Henderson alerted the entire country when he secured commitments from the Peach State’s elite defensive linemen. Justus Terry And Isaiah Gibson last March, but in the last 24 hours both big names have reopened their recruitments. The truth is: it’s not surprising. It seems to have been a long time coming, as Terry and Gibson continued to explore other options, and in particular, schools like Georgia and others in the SEC were right in the heart of the problem – and soon after having given their verbal pact with the Trojans this spring.
“Terry just officially visited Florida State and is scheduled to visit Alabama this weekend. He officially visited Georgia earlier this month and we already know how well he knows Athens. Gibson performed official visits to Tennessee, Auburn and Georgia, with Oklahoma and Ohio State on deck Right now, I would expect a lot of schools to take their shots with Terry and Gibson, but the Dawgs have longevity and relationships on their side. It’s fair to consider them the first team to watch with Terry and Gibson out of their backyard.
–Sam Spiegelman, national recruiting analyst
“‘Less than three months was the answer to the question that landed in my inbox in March when Justus Terry left Georgia for USC. Many wondered how long it would last, whether the engagement was an impromptu deal or even the product of an important visit. Even with the revamped coaching staff in Los Angeles, with veteran NFL coach Eric Henderson and who knows how much career and/or NIL support that comes with it – it’s not easy to win trench battles five stars in the South. Terry’s withdrawal follows that of his compatriot Isaiah Gibson, who also committed during this spring weekend in Los Angeles. Fellow forward Elijah Griffin and several others making trips out West at that time were on the Trojan commit’s watch as momentum was driven by the defensive recruits. Although a blue blood would rarely say no to these promises, accepting them before official visit season was always going to become a risk – like any return to campus. USC was just two days away from hosting Terry for an official visit, and now that won’t happen. Instead, he’ll return to the program he’s always viewed as Georgia’s biggest threat: Alabama. Of course, UGA remains in the thick of the race and has hosted several times since opting out, as has relatively close ACC powerhouse Florida State. It appears the trio will battle for the top-ranked interior defensive lineman in the country.
“One of two things that should happen in the future with the five-star. On the one hand, he visited the programs long linked to his name and should have a clear picture of the top three after spending the weekend -end in Tuscaloosa It wouldn’t be surprising to see a quick turnaround in making a new commitment between the three, with Georgia (once again) the state favorite and AU the long-time threat. with the benefit of the final visit or can FSU spring a surprise somehow, a return to the SEC/ACC footprint could occur shortly.
The other, probably less likely, scenario is that Terry sees this disengagement as a total recruiting reset. His final transition didn’t last long and it was a sudden shift from one coast to the other. Could this make him want to take some time and really look at the best options, and perhaps more as the 2024 college football season gets underway? I’m sure this scenario is advisable for the impressive defender, who, of course, would wait on his decision as late as Terry would consider it – even if that extends to the early signing period in December. “
–John Garcia, National Recruiting Analyst
“Even when Terry committed to USC, we were skeptical it would last until signing day. He has made two visits to Georgia since committing, including an official visit from May 31 to June 2. The Bulldogs have been consistent in their message that recruiting is a marathon for them. That resonated with Terry. All of the factors that pushed Terry to commit to Georgia are also still in place, including a relationship. very strong with defensive line coach Tray Scott. I predict Terry will sign with Georgia.
–Jed May, UGASports.com
“USC has now lost two defensive linemen from Georgia, Terry and Isaiah Gibson. Both were visiting elsewhere this summer, but neither had plans to come to Tuscaloosa until he was announced that Terry would be heading there this weekend Despite strong interest elsewhere, Alabama is making an aggressive move to insert itself back into the mix to land the five-star talent. The Crimson Tide has just two line commitments. defensively – Antonio Coleman and London Simmons – and will certainly welcome a player with Terry’s talent, Alabama has some ground to gain.”
–Jack Knowlton, TideIllustrated.com
“The timing of Terry’s decommitment from USC, less than 72 hours after the end of his official visit to Florida State, will make the Seminoles fan base full of optimism about a potential turnaround. And the Seminoles took away some of Peach State’s best players since Mike Norvell took over the programs, they landed Georgia’s Luke Kromenhoek, Kam Davis and Landen Thomas in their final class and the Bulldogs reportedly took all three, including in. making a late and very tough push for Kromenhoek last December FSU can compete with Georgia for recruiting the state’s top recruits.
“Certainly, one has to think that his visit to FSU played a role in his decision. So, FSU certainly has a chance, even if it’s a puncher’s chance. Now, reports indicate that an official visit to Alabama could take place this weekend I still think Georgia is in the lead, but in the NIL era anything is possible.”
—Patrick Burnham, TheOsceola.com