Lincoln Riley Visits Elite USC Trojans Recruit During Bye Week

The USC Trojans are on their second bye week of the season with a 5-2 record. During the bye, USC coach Lincoln Riley traveled to Texas to visit four-star wide receiver recruit Ethan "Boobie" Feaster. Feaster is one of the top recruits, and Riley is making him feel like a priority even after his commitment.

Nov 16, 2024; Los Angeles, California, USA; Southern California Trojans head coach Lincoln Riley watches game action against the Nebraska Cornhuskers during the second half at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images | Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images

The USC Trojans are 5-2 as they head into their second bye week. With no game taking place during week 9 of the college football season, USC coach Lincoln Riley took the time to visit one of the top recruits from the class of 2026.

Four-star wide receiver recruit Ethan “Boobie” Feaster is one of the biggest USC commits from an elite recruiting class of 2026. On Thursday night, Riley was on campus in Texas to watch Feaster put in the work for his high school football team.

Oct 5, 2024; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; USC Trojans head coach Lincoln Riley looks on during the first half against the Minnesota Golden Gophers at Huntington Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matt Krohn-Imagn Images | Matt Krohn-Imagn Images

Per the Rivals Industry Ranking, Feaster is the No. 54 recruit in the nation, the No. 5 wide receiver, and the No. 4 player from Texas. Feaster and DeSoto took down Cedar Hill, 46-9, and Riley was there to watch his future wide receiver perform.

With Riley taking the time to visit Feaster, it shows that the Trojans are still making the elite wide receiver recruit feel like a priority. Despite Feaster’s commitment, there are still programs such as Texas A&M pushing to flip the recruit. 

#K104FridayNightLights
“Battle of Beltline”

USC Head Coach @LincolnRiley pulled up to check out commit @BoobieFeaster23 put in work. #FightOn

Cedar Hill 3️⃣

DeSoto 2️⃣2️⃣

HALFTIME#DFW #TXHSFB pic.twitter.com/wduekCaiiu

— Ron Murray (@RonMurrayJr) October 24, 2025

The visit from Riley can help ensure Feaster does not flip his decision this fall and stays motivated to play for the Trojans in 2026.

What Feaster Will Bring To USC Trojans

DeSoto's Ethan Feaster warms up after halftime during Friday's game at the Alamodome on Sept. 13, 2024, in San Antonio, Texas. | Angela Piazza/Caller-Times / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Feaster committed to the USC Trojans in July, choosing the program over the LSU Tigers and the Texas A&M Aggies. One of the reasons Feaster chose USC was due to their ability to develop not only wide receivers, but also quarterbacks.

Not only is knowing who is throwing the ball important, but Feaster also understands that whichever quarterback is starting is also being developed at a high level.

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“With USC, you know they will have a great quarterback throwing their receivers the ball with Lincoln Riley as the head coach,” Feaster told On3 after his commitment.

“That’s my guy,” Feaster said of Riley. “He probably calls me almost every day. I mean, almost every day.”

Oct 28, 2023; Berkeley, California, USA; USC Trojans head coach Lincoln Riley walks on the field before a game against the California Golden Bears at California Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images | Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images

Feaster was originally from the class of 2027 before reclassifying, making him a young prospect. Despite his age, he is a talented playmaker as an outside receiver. His physicality and speed stand out, as he is able to break away from the defender.

Feaster is also a talented blocker, which makes him a part of every play, whether the ball is in his hands or not. With the Trojans having a talented run game as well, having the receivers block can bring the offense to another level.

Dec 2, 2022; Las Vegas, NV, USA; Southern California Trojans head coach Lincoln Riley watches game action against the Utah Utes during the second half in the PAC-12 Football Championship at Allegiant Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images | Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images

USC Trojans Elite Class of 2026

With the chance that wide receiver Makai Lemon moves on to the 2026 NFL Draft, the Trojans will not have to worry about its depth of the position with Feaster and other talent joining the team next year.

Feaster is a part of an elite recruiting class of 2026. The Trojans have the No. 1-ranked recruiting class in the nation, per On3, which features 34 commits. The Trojans will be getting several elite pass catchers along with Feaster.

The top commit comes from five-star tight end Mark Bowman, and also in the class of 2026 is four-star wide receiver Trent Mosely. Riley and the Trojans are gaining several elite recruits to add to the offense, keeping the Trojans a top contender for the next several years.