Luke Wafle just picked the USC Trojans, who have never appeared in the College Football Playoffs, over the Ohio State Buckeyes, who just won the National Championship in the first-ever 12-team playoffs.
Make sense? Not really. That is, until you learn exactly what the Trojans and head coach Lincoln Riley offered the prospect.
Wafle, a four-star prospect and the No. 10 edge rusher in the class of 2026, announced that he had committed to USC on Thursday, June 19, despite a forceful recruitment effort from Ohio State and head coach Ryan Day.
Only a few hours after his commitment, On3's Steve Wiltfong reported that the Trojans had reportedly upped their (already substantial) NIL offer to anywhere between $2.2 to $2.6 million less than a day before his commitment.
BREAKING: Elite 2026 EDGE Luke Wafle has Committed to USC, he tells me for @on3recruits
— Hayes Fawcett (@Hayesfawcett3) June 19, 2025
The 6’6 250 EDGE chose the Trojans over Ohio State & Penn State
He’s ranked as the No. 14 Recruit in ‘26 (per On3)
“Fight on! Let’s go get this natty!”https://t.co/58MKhisA1d pic.twitter.com/URRBsfJMQM
Wiltfong shared that Day and the Buckeyes had made a similar move earlier in the week. Now, USC's offer looks a little more like a scramble to recover than a worthwhile offer. Wafle had Division I offers from 30 programs, including numerous that played in the 2024-25 CFPs (Ohio State, Notre Dame, Texas, Georgia, Oregon, Clemson, and more).
Prior to Wafle even committing to the Trojans, Riley had already secured the No. 1 recruiting class in the country for the class of 2026, just two places ahead of Day's class of recruits. The year before, Day also brought in a top-five class. On the other hand, Riley was only able to secure the No. 15 class in the country.
Missing out on Wafle hurts; that's impossible to deny. However, spending upwards of $2.6 million on a defensive lineman who has yet to play a snap of collegiate football might not have been a move that Day or any other Buckeye was ready to make.