Lincoln Riley's USC flips four-star OT from UNC to the Class of 2025

Four-Star OT Alex Payne flipped his commitment from UNC to USC's 2025 class on Friday. He originally pledged to the Tar Heels in January and made the decision after an official visit to USC during the Trojans’ 28-20 victory over Nebraska last weekend.

Payne’s flip leaves UNC with just 10 commitments in its 2025 class, causing the Tar Heels to slide to No. 66 in the national recruiting rankings. Meanwhile, this commitment is a big boost for USC, which faced a setback earlier on Wednesday when four-star offensive tackle Carde Smith de-commited.

The 6-foot-5, 265-pound Payne's ability to play both left and right tackle makes him a valuable asset for offensive line coach Josh Henson and the Trojans' staff. He didn’t specify a future position during his USC visit, but his flexibility will allow the coaches to maximize his impact.

Payne is rated the No. 163 overall prospect in the nation, the No. 15 offensive tackle in the 2025 class and the No. 22 recruit in Georgia, according to the On3 Industry Rankings.

Alex Payne opens up about his commitment to USC

Alex Payne becomes the fourth offensive line commitment in USC's 2025 class. Flipping from UNC to USC was not in his plan, but the Trojans' coaching staff swayed him away.

“At first, I thought, no way, that’s too far away from home," Payne told On3. "But the more I talked with the coaches through FaceTime conversations almost daily and really getting to know them, I could start seeing myself playing for those guys."

Payne provided the reasons behind his USC commitment, saying (via 247Sports):

"The education aspect of a USC degree. The USC football legacy speaks for itself and to be asked to become a part of that is huge to me. So many opportunities surround the campus outside of football."

Alex Payne is also the teammate of four-star USC defensive end commit Xavier Griffin, who committed to the Trojans' 2025 class in July. This class currently has 22 commits and ranks No. 12 in the nation.

The cycle got over the instant blow of five-star quarterback Julian Lewis' de-commitment by flipping Husan Longstreet from Texas A&M.