Notre Dame Fighting Irish v University of Southern California - Source: Getty — Notre Dame Fighting Irish v University of Southern California (image credit: getty)

"The feeling you couldn't ignore was money": Football fans react to Lincoln Riley's USC Class of 2026 WR commit Kohen Brown

Modified Apr 03, 2025 15:29 GMT

Three-star wide receiver Kohen Brown has pledged his commitment to Lincoln Riley's USC Trojans. Brown announced his commitment on Tuesday. The news was posted on Instagram by On3's Hayes Fawcett, along with a quote from the prospect.

“They gave me a feeling I just couldn't ignore,” Brown said.

Reactions have poured in. While rival fans are mocking the recruitment, USC fans are positive about Brown's prospects in LA and the program’s progress with this recruiting class.

“That feeling you couldn't ignore was money,” a fan wrote.

“USC just got another recruit to go 7-5 🥀✌️,” another fan wrote.

“Give him 1 year and he will be in the portal lol,” one fan commented.

USC fans are excited about Brown's addition to their team.

“We cooking they in the comments mad hating… In Los Angeles we love being most hated,” a fan said.

“Don't think we're done. More is coming,” one fan wrote.

“USC killing it rn,” another fan commented.

Reactions to Kohen Brown's USC commitment (image credit: instagram/hayesfawcett3)

Brown took his first visit to the Trojans on Tuesday. Despite it being his first time in Los Angeles, he was positively influenced to commit.

“California is beautiful, I did not think I was gonna love it this much," Brown said on Wednesday, via On3. "People told me I was going to like it a lot, but then I got there and they showed me a lot of love. I love the city out there, I love the campus and I love how the players interact. I love the culture and I just started falling in love with all of it.”

How USC recruited Kohen Brown

USC started recruiting Kohen Brown after Trojans tight ends and inside receivers coach Chad Savage visited his school, Waxahachie (Texas), in January. Brown has also interacted with Lincoln Riley, forming a deep impression.

“He’s a good person and a great offensive coach," Brown said on March 26, via On3. "But behind all the football stuff, just getting to know him. He’s a great person. Like a great human being, a great guy. My parents loved them. My mom loved him and she pretty hard to win over. I talk to him on a regular basis.”

Brown caught 54 throws for 1,084 yards and 11 touchdowns in 2024. He is the No. 66 wide receiver in the 2026 class, per the On3 Industry Rankings.

About the author

Kayode is a College and High School Sports writer at Sportskeeda since June 2023. Hailing from Nigeria, he has an undergraduate degree in Linguistics and African Languages, and has previously had stints as an entertainment and politics writer for around 7 months. Adept at creating content around historical perspectives, he strives to report stories based only on verified information. His mantra is - truth is always more important than sensationalism.

A fan of the Alabama Crimson Tide football team, Kayode admires how Nick Saban developed talent at the team and delivered consistent results, and hopes that the post-Saban era is just as fruitful. He is thoroughly impressed by Johnny Manziel’s talent, and feels that Shedeur Sanders is massively underrated. Nick Saban is his all-time favorite college coach.

While Kayode believes there is little to separate college and mainstream sports, pro leagues absorbing the best athletes leads to their quality being higher. Witnessing the Colorado Buffaloes’ hot streak at start the 2023 football season was one of his all-time favorite college sports moments.

When not writing, Kayode enjoys reading and watching sports documentaries. His most recent watch was "Sir Alex Ferguson: Never Give In."

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