USA TODAY High School Sports‘ Friday Night Notes is a weekly high school football recruiting recap that looks at the latest news from around the country—from the Class of 2025 to ’26 and beyond.
USC’s starting to heat up on the recruiting trail and on the field while Colorado’s vision for its 2025 class isn’t exactly all that clear.
The nation’s No. 1 player also continued to add to a legacy that the state of Michigan may never see again. Records are meant to be broken but a full and healthy season could see the LSU commitment reach numbers that are simply untouchable.
Let’s dive a bit deeper into that in the latest edition of Friday Night Notes.
Bryce Underwood adds to untouchable resume
Before we dive deep into USC’s rise and Colorado’s recruiting woes, we have to take a look at the No. 1 player in the country. LSU commit Bryce Underwood has been a standout on the field since his freshman season, adding accolade after accolade to his impressive resume.
Now, he owns the Michigan state record for passing and all-time touchdowns in a career.
In Belleville’s 65-0 win over Churchill, Underwood was untouchable. He passed for five touchdowns and ran another in. Underwood’s records sit at 124 passing and 151 all-time. With a possible state championship run on the horizon, Underwood could likely put those records out of reach by the time his career is said and done.
Trojans building momentum at the right time
Lincoln Riley’s USC Trojans have been one of the most impressive teams on the field so far this season. Between their high-scoring offense and rejuvenated defense, the Trojans look like a real contender to compete for a College Football Playoff spot.
USC’s also picked up some steam on the recruiting trail. Last week, the Trojans landed a pair of pledges for their 2025 and 2026 class, with commitments from four-star linebacker Ty Jackson and defensive lineman Viliami Moala.
The 2025 group, headlined by top-50 quarterback Julian Lewis, is also projected by most recruiting outlets to land the commitment of five-star wide receiver Jerome Myles. Myles is set to announce his decision on September 18.
Colorado’s 2025 class needs some major work
Flipping Lewis was a priority for the Buffaloes and was a real possibility a month ago. Now, it seems like a dream.
It doesn’t help that the Buffaloes haven’t been able to put together much of a recruiting class this cycle.
Deion Sanders has prioritized building out of the transfer portal since arriving in Boulder, and that’s evident in this group. While most programs have between 15 to 25 pledges so far, Colorado only has seven in a group that ranks 84th nationally and last in the Big 12.
The group is headlined by a pair of four-star pledges in Chauncey Gooden and receiver Quanell X Farrakhan Jr. Gooden is the only Colorado pledge ranked inside the top-200 according to 247Sports.
What’s next for Buffs once Travis Hunter and Shedeur Sanders are gone?
The question of what will become of Colorado once Travis Hunter and Shedeur Sanders exit has long been discussed since they arrived in Boulder last year. Three games into the season, this topic is as prevalent as ever.
Colorado is 2-1 with wins over Colorado State, North Dakota State and a blowout loss to Nebraska. Hunter is firmly in the mix for the Heisman, Sanders is being coveted as a first-round draft pick, and the Buffs have a solid standout receiver in Joe Horn Jr.
Outside of those three, Colorado’s roster isn’t much to scoff at between the amount of transfers and lack of depth in the recruiting class. With those factors involved, many are wondering if Sanders will stay in Boulder. According to The Athletic’s Bruce Feldman, he isn’t so sure Sanders stays.
Feldman joined the Rich Eisen Show on Wednesday and talked about his concerns revolving around the program.
“I think the job will be way harder when you don’t have Shedeur, Travis and Jimmy Horn Jr.,” Feldman said. “I think without those guys, that program could be a two-win or three-win program…
…unlike most programs, the gap between the top players on the roster and what’s behind them is profound,” Feldman continued.