USC’s 2025 recruiting class suffered a second massive blow in the span of 24 hours Wednesday morning with the decommitment of five-star defensive tackle Justus Terry.
“My recruitment is open!! #Decommitted,” Terry wrote on X.
Terry’s decision to reopen his recruitment comes just one day after five-star defensive end commit Isaiah Gibson pulled his verbal pledge from the Trojans, yanking two of the top three prospects from Lincoln Riley’s upcoming class that previously ranked third in ESPN’s team rankings. Top overall prospect Julian Lewis remains committed to USC following a visit to Auburn this past weekend.
Terry, a top prospect from Georgia’s Manchester High School, ranks No. 7 in the 2025 ESPN 300 and is the No. 2 defensive tackle in his class. The 6-foot-5, 270-pound lineman initially committed to Georgia in January 2023 before reopening his commitment and giving his verbal pledge to the Trojans earlier this spring. Terry took visits to Georgia and Florida State in recent weeks and was scheduled for a visit to USC this weekend.
With Terry’s decommitment, the remaining defenders in the Trojans’ class include safety Hylton Stubb (No. 94 in ESPN 300), outside linebacker Matai Tagoa’i (No. 143), defensive end Hayden Lowe (No. 272), cornerback Trestin Castro (No. 31 cornerback per ESPN rankings) and defensive end Gus Cordova (No. 48 defensive end).
Riley still has talent set to join his defense and could add more in 2025. But in losing Gibson and Terry’s pledges, the future of USC’s defense and its 2025 class is murkier than ever.