WR Caleb Douglas backs off longtime USC commitment

On3 imageby:Jeremy Crabtree11/30/21

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USC is still searching for its first commitment under new coach Lincoln Riley. But the Trojans suffered their first setback on the recruiting trail on Tuesday with the news that Caleb Douglas – who has been committed since early August – was reopening his recruitment.

Douglas, a three-star prospect from Missouri City (Texas) Hightower, announced on social media Tuesday morning he was decommitting. He said his recruitment is “104% back open” in the post.

On the surface with USC chasing some elite receiver targets, this appears to be a mutual decision between the Trojans and Douglas. But only time will tell how heavily the new USC pursues Douglas.

This is Caleb Douglas’ second decommitment of the recruiting process. He was previously committed to Baylor at one point before opening things back up and eventually flipping to USC.

At the time, Caleb Douglas said he was sold on USC’s offense and how he loved his visit to campus.

“I just believe the school fits me perfectly,” Caleb Douglas said about USC. They play a lot of bigger receivers, they run the spread, and everybody gets a chance to get the ball. On top of that it’s in Cali.”

Douglas is the No. 96 receiver in the country and the No. 87 player in Texas,  according to the On3 Consensus, a complete and equally weighted industry-generated average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies. On3 ranks Douglas as the No. 58 receiver in the country.

USC’s class drops to No. 40

With the Caleb Douglas decommitment, the Trojans’ 2022 class falls slightly from No. 37 to No. 40 in the On3 Consensus Football Team Recruiting Ranking. The Trojans have only seven confirmed commitments for the 2022 class but many expect that to quickly change now that Riley is on the recruiting trail.

Riley took a big step toward securing a commitment from four-star Santa Ana (Calif.) Mater Dei do-it-all athlete and longtime OU commit Raleek Brown on his first night on the job. Riley was in home with Brown Monday night, just hours after he was announced as the head coach with the Trojans.

Plus, On3’s Chad Simmons says there is a long list of targets that are poised to become the first commitment for Riley. He outlined some of the key names in a story on Tuesday.