5-Star ATH Prospect Makai Lemon Commits to USC After Decommitting from Oklahoma

Brandon Huffman, 247Sports.com

The wave of college football recruits decommitting from Oklahoma to join ex-Sooners head coach Lincoln Riley at USC continued Friday, with 5-star class of 2023 athlete Makai Lemon announcing that he will be joining the Trojans.

Lemon told the news to Hayes Fawcett of On3 Recruits:

Five-star class of 2023 quarterback Malachi Nelson and 5-star class of 2022 running back Raleek Brown have already decommitted from Oklahoma to join USC.

Five-star class of 2023 wide receiver Brandon Inniss has also decommitted from Oklahoma but has not announced his college destination.

Losing Lemon is a tough one for the Sooners. The Los Alamitos High School star is 27th overall in the 247Sports composite rankings for the class of 2023 and fourth among prospects in California.

Gabe Brooks, who is 247Sports’ Midlands Region recruiting analyst, wrote the following about Lemon:

“Requisite size for receiver or defensive back with a lean, athletic build that can add some more mass. Dynamic playmaker at the high school level with outstanding junior year production at receiver and cornerback. Also provides a dangerous return game option. Excels in the short area with terrific lateral twitch and explosion, which fosters separation, whether at the line of scrimmage or the top of the route. For the same reasons is dangerous as a run-after-catch threat. Also uses suddenness to close on the catch point as a defender. Elite body control in his routes and when the ball is in the air. Football IQ combines with functional athleticism to provide great feel for tempo as a route runner.”

Brooks also wrote Lemon looked like a receiver in the “long run” but that he could have a higher ceiling as a cornerback.

Either way, Brooks called him one of his class’ best two-way prospects, with the potential to ultimately hear his name called in an early round of the NFL draft.

Now he’ll be joining what appears to be a loaded USC class of 2023 as the Trojans look to return to past glory under Riley.