When Husan Longstreet flipped his commitment from Texas A&M to USC last November, it was supposed to signal the beginning of something special. The five-star quarterback from Corona Centennial High School was meant to be the next big thing for the Trojans under head coach Lincoln Riley.
Yet, barely a year later, Longstreet has communicated to USC that he’s considering entering the transfer portal, according to CBS Sports’ Matt Zenitz. No final decision has been shared with the team, but in the money-driven modern college football landscape, “considering” often means the conversations with other programmes have already begun.
Husan Longstreet’s Potential Transfer Portal Plan Poses Lincoln Riley Question for USC
The situation with Longstreet amplifies the opinion that Lincoln Riley is no longer considered an elite developer of quarterback talent. When was the last time he developed a quarterback from recruitment to the NFL?
That the former five-star is actively considering leaving is as much of an indictment on his head coach as it is on the college football system that allows teams to whisper financial sweet nothings into other teams’ players’ ears.
Riley’s quarterbacks-to-the-NFL pipeline tells a fascinating story upon closer inspection. Baker Mayfield walked on at Texas Tech before transferring to Oklahoma. Kyler Murray transferred in from Texas A&M. Jalen Hurts arrived as a graduate transfer from Alabama. Caleb Williams was recruited to Oklahoma, spent one full season as a starter, then followed Riley to Los Angeles.
Spencer Rattler, the one quarterback Riley actually signed and developed from the beginning, lost his starting job to Williams and transferred to South Carolina.
The pattern continues at USC. Malachi Nelson, a five-star from Los Alamitos who was supposed to be Riley’s homegrown successor to Williams, entered the transfer portal in December 2023, lost the starting competition to Maddux Madsen at Boise State, and has since moved on to UTEP, where he lost the starting job to Skyler Locklear.
Miller Moss was on campus before Riley even arrived. Jayden Maiava came from the portal via the UNLV Rebels. Now Longstreet, the latest blue-chip recruit meant to represent the future, is already weighing his options.
Longstreet Poised to Enter Packed Transfer Portal QB Market
The timing compounds the concerns.
Longstreet’s older brother Kevin, a cornerback who arrived at USC after starting his career with the Texas A&M Aggies, has already entered the transfer portal. The departure of one sibling often creates gravitational pull on the other. Family ties run deep, and the prospect of both Longstreet brothers landing at the same destination would hold obvious appeal.
Husan’s limited playing time this season tells part of the story. He appeared in four games, completing 13 of 15 passes for 103 yards and a touchdown while rushing for 76 yards and two scores on 11 carries.
Riley used him sparingly in red zone packages during Big Ten play to preserve his redshirt, but the freshman never truly challenged Maiava for significant snaps. When Maiava announced before the new year that he was bypassing the NFL Draft to return for his senior season, the writing appeared on the wall for the former five-star’s chances of playing significant 2026 snaps.
The quarterback market in this January’s transfer portal is unlike anything we’ve seen. Former five-stars DJ Lagway and Dylan Raiola are available, while Sam Leavitt and Aidan Chiles were still seeking a new home at the time of writing. Many passers have already locked in their location for the 2026 season.
Into this crowded field, Longstreet would emerge as perhaps the most intriguing developmental prospect, a player with three years of eligibility remaining and the pedigree to start immediately at most Power Four programmes.
His high school resume demands attention.
As a sophomore at Inglewood High School, Longstreet threw for 3,941 yards and 40 touchdowns, earning Daily Breeze All-Area Player of the Year honours. After transferring to Centennial, he threw for over 3,000 yards as a junior, before a senior campaign that saw him throw for 1,641 yards and 19 touchdowns, despite missing the first two games due to an injury.
He also rushed for 494 yards and six scores, demonstrating the dual-threat capability that made him a top performer at the Elite 11 Finals.
Can USC HC Riley Retain Longstreet — and his Reputation
Should Longstreet enter the portal, USC would turn to four-star 2026 signee Jonas Williams as the likely QB2 behind Maiava.
It’s a far cry from the succession plan Riley envisioned when he courted Longstreet away from Texas A&M, when quarterbacks coach Luke Huard had maintained a relationship with the Corona product since Longstreet was a freshman at Inglewood High School, less than 15 miles from USC’s campus.
The irony cuts deep. Riley himself has acknowledged the dangers of the transfer portal, telling Colin Cowherd last summer that “you don’t get a real chance to evaluate and get to know a lot of these guys” and that “finding the right fit can be very difficult.”
He’s spoken about wanting to emulate Michigan’s model of player development rather than relying on portal quick fixes.
Yet his inability to develop quarterbacks from recruitment to NFL starter, combined with the departures of Nelson and potentially Longstreet, suggests the problem runs deeper than roster management philosophy.
Five-star quarterbacks want to play. They want to develop. They want to see a clear path to both starting roles and professional careers.
Longstreet may yet stay at USC. He has three years of eligibility remaining after 2026, and with player development improving and the roster projected to be stronger in 2027, patience could pay dividends.
But patience is a luxury that modern college football rarely affords, and the portal waits for no one. The door that Riley once considered dangerous now swings both ways with equal force.
he has 4 years of eligibility left, he redshirt this year.
Hey! Thanks for taking the time to read and comment. The article states he has three remaining years after 2026, which is the four years of eligibility you refer to. Thanks again, Oliver (Managing Editor of College Sports)