Commitment Flip Signals Tide Turning in Oregon-USC Recruiting Battles

The Oregon Ducks 2027 recruiting class took a hit with the commitment flip from offensive tackle Drew Fielder to the USC Trojans. Fielder had previously been committed to the Ducks since February of 2026.

What made Fielder flip his commitment?

Drew Fielder Flips From Oregon to USC

Oregon Ducks Dan Lanning Recruiting Class of 2027 Commitment Flip USC Trojans Lincoln Riley Drew Fielder Recruit Danny Lang — Oregon head coach Dan Lanning, left, and USC head coach Lincoln Riley shake hands before the game as the Oregon Ducks host the USC Trojans on Nov. 22, 2025, at Autzen Stadium in Eugene, Oregon. | Ben Lonergan/The Register-Guard / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Drew Fielder is a 6-6, 280 pound offensive tackle out of Anaheim, California. He is rated as a four-star recruit and ranked as the No. 10 offensive tackle in the 2027 class per 247Sports. Fielder talked to Greg Biggins of Rivals about his decision to flip his commitment from Oregon to USC. Fielder has family ties to the Trojans and calls going to USC “the dream.”

“Ever since I was a kid, USC was the dream for me. I’ve talked about it before, my dad went there and my grandfather and great uncle won a national championship as well,” Fielder said. “Not many players get to live out their dream but I do so I’m obviously very excited right now.”

Despite de-committing from Oregon, Fielder said there wasn’t anything that the Ducks did to deter him. It was more just about USC being the place he had always wanted to go.

“I really loved Oregon, this wasn’t anything against them,” Fielder said. “USC is the only school I would have de-committed for. This is a dream opportunity for me and one I just couldn’t pass up.”

If there's Southern California elite recruits with this type of pull and feelings towards USC, there's not much the Ducks can do in terms of winning them over.

Oregon vs. USC Recruiting

This isn’t the first time this week that USC has got the upper hand on Oregon when it comes to recruiting. The Trojans landed the commitment of class of 2027 recruit, cornerback Danny Lang. USC and Oregon were both finalists for the four-star defensive back, but USC ended up getting his commitment.

Lang, like Fielder, is a Southern California kid. Both committing to USC over Oregon signal that the Ducks reign of dominating recruiting this area could be coming to an end. USC had struggled in recent years keeping the best high school talent close to home. That is starting to change.

USC’s 2026 recruiting class ranked No. 1 in the entire country. This was the best incoming recruiting class for USC coach Lincoln Riley since he took over at the helm in 2022.

Even with USC’s resurgence in recruiting, Oregon has still been consistently towards the top of recruiting rankings. According to on On3, the Ducks 2026 class is ranked as the 4th best in the country. It is headlined by five-star recruits such as offensive tackle Immanuel Iheanacho, tight end Kendre Harrison, safety Jett Washington, and wide receiver Jalen Lott.

On the field, these two teams will play against each other for the second straight season in 2026. Oregon beat USC at Autzen Stadium in 2025 by a final score of 42-27. In 2026, they will play at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum on Saturday, Sept. 26.

The Trojans have not beat the Ducks in any of their past four meetings. USC’s last win over Oregon was in 2016.

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