High School

Big Ten coach uses bye week to look at recruit in Texas High School football game

In the midst of a bye week, USC coach Lincoln Riley traveled to Texas to visit 4-star wide receiver recruit Ethan "Boobie" Feaster.

Edith Noriega

Southern California Trojans head coach Lincoln Riley stands on the sidelines during the first quarter against the Purdue Boilermakers at Ross-Ade Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Marc Lebryk-Imagn Images
Southern California Trojans head coach Lincoln Riley stands on the sidelines during the first quarter against the Purdue Boilermakers at Ross-Ade Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Marc Lebryk-Imagn Images / Marc Lebryk-Imagn Images

A prominent college football coach paid one of the top recruits from the class of 2026 a visit Thursday night at a Texas high school football game.

USC head football coach Lincoln Riley watched from the sidelines in Texas as four-star wide receiver recruit Ethan "Boobie" Feaster contributed to his high school football team's victory.

Feaster, who is committed to USC, put his talent on display as he caught a 29-yard touchdown pass and rushed for a 2-point conversion as the DeSoto Eagle defeated visiting Cedar Hill, 46-9.

According to Rivals' ranking, Feaster is the No. 54 recruit in the nation. In addition, he is the No. 5 wide receiver and the No. 4 player from Texas in the 2026 class.

Earlier this year, Feaster reclassified and went from being a high school sophomore in 2024 to a high school senior in 2025.

Former NFL wide receiver Dez Bryant comments on Lincoln Riley's visit

Feaster announced his commitment to the Trojans in July. He chose USC over Texas A&M, LSU and Alabama.

The Trojans (5-2) are on their second bye week of the season, hence why Riley took time to visit Feaster. The visit may also be an assurance of Feaster's commitment despite other programs pushing to flip the recruit.

Feaster has been a standout for the Eagles since his freshman season.

Through 8 games this fall, Feaster had 42 catches for 911 yards and 10 touchdowns.

Former NFL wide receiver Dez Bryant weighed in on social media about Riley's visit: "When kids are properly developed and not robbed from their potential...the head coaches from the D1 college will show up themselves.."

Bryant played for the Dallas Cowboys and Baltimore Ravens in nine NFL seasons. Bryant's son is a wide receiver at nearby Colleyville Heritage High School in Colleyville.

How is USC Trojans Class of 2026 shaping up?

With the addition of Feaster, the Trojans continue to build up as the most elite recruiting class of 2026. Although, if wide receiver Makai Lemon moves on to the 2026 draft, the Trojans will have plenty of depth in Feaster and additional recruits.

The Trojans, with 34 commits, are the No. 1-ranked recruiting class in the nation, according to On3. The Georgia Bulldogs (29) and Oregon Ducks (18) are ranked at No. 2 and No. 3, respectively.

The Trojans top commit for the class of 2026 is four-star tight end Mark Bowman in addition to four-star wide receiver Trent Mosely.

Feaster is one of 3 Texans that are pledged to head to Los Angeles. The others are defensive linemen Jake Johnson from Prosper and Jaimeon Winfield from Richardson.

-- Edith Noriega | noriega0101@gmail.com | @noriega_edith

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Edith Noriega
EDITH NORIEGA

Edith Noriega is an award-winning sports journalist who came to the Seattle area after three years in Oregon with the Eugene Register-Guard and its sister newspaper, Salem Statesman Journal, where her focus was high schools and local colleges. Noriega previously covered high schools with the Southern California News Group. She also worked as a Tokyo Olympic Games researcher for NBC Sports, focusing on baseball and softball. She is a proud two-time graduate of Arizona State University’s Cronkite School and Riverside City College. She’s also a member of the National Association of Hispanic Journalists. When not writing, she enjoys playing tennis, yoga, concerts and is currently reading “The Last of His Kind: Clayton Kershaw.” She began contributing to High School On SI in 2025.

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