Lincoln Riley's USC lands commitment from 4-star OT Carde Smith to the class of 2025: Reports

Four-star offensive lineman Carde Smith, from Williamson High School in Mobile, Alabama, has announced his commitment to USC's 2025 class. He grew up an ardent Alabama fan and initially committed to Auburn, but he ultimately chose to don the cardinal and gold of the Trojans for his college career.

USC offered Smith a spot in late May while he was still pledged to Auburn. This delayed but strategic move paid off when Lincoln Riley's program managed to get him on campus for an official visit on June 21. The visit ultimately led to his decommitment from Auburn just five days later, on June 26.

In an interview with 247 Sports, Smith elaborated on his reasons for choosing USC.

"When I went up there for the official visit and I fell in love with the place. A lot of people said it's about money. It's not really about money because before I did the NIL talk, I didn't want to leave. I was already telling my mom I didn't want to leave, that this felt like home to me."

Carde Smith’s decision-making process spanned the entire summer and despite a visit to Starkville, Mississippi, last weekend, USC's charm proved too strong to resist.

Coach Riley and offensive coordinator Josh Henson's active involvement and vision for Smith’s future played a crucial role in securing his commitment.

"Sitting down with Coach Henson. Talking with coach Henson, he showed me the game. Showed me what I need to work on. Talking with Coach Lincoln Riley. I feel like Coach Riley is the best head coach in the game. Just being in Cali itself is amazing. They treat me like family, the players, the coaches, the recruits, all that. It just felt like home to me."

What does Carde Smith bring to USC?

Carde Smith was pursued by several powerhouse programs, including Florida State, Miami, Tennessee, Colorado, Ole Miss, and Mississippi State, but ultimately USC won the race for the Alabama-based player.

National recruiting analyst Cooper Petagna highlighted Smith’s impressive skills, noting his "quick twitch explosiveness off the line of scrimmage" and his "natural power and play strength to drive defenders off the ball consistently." At 6-foot-5 and 285 pounds, Smith exhibits good athleticism at the right tackle position and excels as a run blocker.

Carde Smith is the No. 232 overall prospect in the nation, the No. 18 offensive tackle in the 2025 class and the No. 11 recruit in Alabama, according to On3. 247 Sports ranks him as the No. 26 offensive tackle in the class and the No. 15 recruit in Alabama.

USC currently boasts 16 verbal commits and ranks No. 18 in the nation, according to On3’s team rankings. His addition strengthens an already promising class that includes notable prospects such as Julian “JuJu” Lewis, Romero Ison, Harry Dalton, Trestin Castro, Matai Tagoa’i, Gus Cordova, Shamar Arnoux, Corey Simms, Willi Wascher, Hayden Lowe, Elijah Vaikona, Daune Morris and Tanook Hines.

USC has also been aggressive in pursuing Auburn commits, including defensive line commit Jourdin Crawford and defensive lineman Malik Autry.