5-star QB recruit verbally commits to Lincoln Riley and USC less than 2 days after decommitting from Oklahoma

It didn't take Malachi Nelson long to follow Lincoln Riley to USC.

Nelson is a five-star recruit and the No. 2 pro-style quarterback in the class of 2023 according to Rivals. Nelson had been verbally committed to Oklahoma since July after he was recruited by Lincoln Riley and the Oklahoma coaching staff. On Sunday night after Riley agreed to be USC's next coach, Nelson de-committed from Oklahoma.

After Nelson — a native of Los Alamitos, California — de-committed from Oklahoma, it was easy to see how he would eventually commit to USC. And he didn't waste any time announcing his commitment to Riley and the Trojans. Tuesday afternoon, he said he was verbally committing to USC.

It's important to remember that verbal commitments are non-binding. So Nelson can easily pick another school before he's eligible to sign in December of 2022. But given he committed so quickly to USC in the aftermath of Riley's move, it seems pretty safe to assume that he'll sign with the Trojans next December.

And he may not be the only Southern California recruit that follows Riley from Oklahoma to USC.

Five-star running back Raleek Brown is the top commit in Oklahoma’s 2022 class and he’s a native of Santa Ana. Four-star wide receiver Deandre Moore is a teammate of Nelson’s and one of three verbal commits in Oklahoma’s 2023 class. It wouldn’t be surprising to see him follow his teammate out west.

Nelson’s de-commitment from Oklahoma came just after five-star wide receiver Brandon Inniss de-committed from the Sooners in the wake of Riley’s departure. Inniss is a five-star wide receiver in the class of 2023 and ranked as the No. 6 player in the class overall. The Plantation, Florida, native will have no shortage of schools recruiting him over the next 12 months.