REPORT: One team is 'trending up" with one of Oregon's commits

Oregon's 2026 recruiting class is off to a dominant start, currently ranked No. 1 in the nation with 10 commitments. Dan Lanning and his staff have done an excellent job securing elite talent early, but with National Signing Day still ways away, keeping all these recruits on board will be a challenge. One recruit in particular seems to be giving serious thought to another program.

Oregon’s 2026 quarterback commit, Jonas Williams, was on USC’s campus over the weekend, and the Trojans are "trending up" in his recruitment, according to On3's Steve Wiltfong. Williams is a 6'1.5, 200 pound QB from Lincoln-Way East High School in Frankfort, Illinois, and he has been committed to Oregon for about six months. However, USC is making a serious push to flip him, and Williams appears to be listening.

It’s no secret that USC has struggled under Lincoln Riley compared to expectations, but if there’s one thing Riley does well, it’s recruiting and developing quarterbacks. His track record speaks for itself, as he’s consistently landed elite quarterbacks and turned them into top NFL prospects. That said, Dan Lanning has also proven his ability to develop quarterbacks, with Bo Nix becoming a first round pick.

At this point, Williams flipping to USC seems like a real possibility, but Oregon remains in regular contact with him, and the battle isn’t over yet. The key will be getting him back to Eugene for another visit. Meanwhile, Oregon is still actively recruiting 5-star quarterback Jared Curtis, who named Oregon his leader after decommitting from Georgia. The Ducks are also in the mix for 5-star Ryder Lyons, though he is expected to take a mission, making him more of a 2027 prospect. It’s hard to see Oregon landing both Williams and Curtis, but securing one of them while potentially adding Lyons would still be an incredible haul.

Additionally, Williams wasn’t the only Oregon commit on campus at USC. Four-star defensive lineman Tomuhini Topui also took a visit to Los Angeles. While it's never ideal to see commits visiting other schools, there’s much less concern about Topui flipping than Williams. Unless USC’s on field performance takes a major leap forward this season, Oregon is in a strong position to keep Topui in the fold. Williams, however, is a different story and should be monitored closely.