Whoa, the spring portal doors swung wide open, and you know the drill—some teams will bleed players, while others will be scrambling for transfer fixes. It’s a bit of a tight spot for USC’s Lincoln Riley, who saw 23 guys head for the portal by March. So, yeah, Riley and his crew were probably itching for a morale boost and cooking up a killer recruiting pitch for spring. Turns out, the universe might’ve just answered their prayers.

You got to figure the Trojans were sweating how to snag those coveted 5-star and 4-star high school recruits, who are getting love from every direction. Standing out is key. But for now, Riley and co. got a breather, all thanks to Las Vegas Raiders head coach Pete Carroll. Even with his NFL gig, Carroll, who coached USC from ’01 to ’09 and clearly still has a soft spot for the program, stays busy teaching “The Game of Life” on campus with David Belasco. And get this—his guest list has been insane, including Steve Karr and The Office star, Rainn Wilson. But it got even bigger and better…

The GOAT himself, Tom Brady, rolled through for an inspiring session with the USC students, and Riley was understandably hyped. Little did those students know, snagging those three credits also meant a surprise chance to hear straight from Brady.

Lincoln Riley shared a clip of Carroll teasing the students with blank projector screens, only for Brady and USC hoops star Juju Watkins to pop up live on a Zoom call. Watkins even grilled Brady on the mental and physical grind of ACL recovery and asked his advice. Well, with a seven-time Super Bowl champ in their corner, what better way for Riley’s program to make some noise this portal season? Riley didn’t waste any time, posting NFL’s clip on his IG story on April 18 with a typically witty caption: “The pLAce to be.” So, what makes Riley so confident?

Having a former coach still invested enough to teach while running an NFL team and pulling in heavy hitters to share their wisdom is just a USC thing. It’s not like they’re reinventing the wheel, but the fact that Carroll and Watkins, both with deep Trojan ties, go the extra mile to give back is a bit of a lost art elsewhere. Isn’t that a pretty solid reason for players to trust Riley’s Trojans this spring? Seems like anyone signing up for USC won’t be regretting it later. Oh, and wasn’t Brady a die-hard Michigan guy?

Tom Brady is changing tune on USC

“This place is special to me. It’s special to the guys that I played with. It’s special to the guys that played before me because we love Michigan.” This is what TB12 said back in January 2024 while talking to the Michigan players. No matter how great the heights that Brady has reached, TB12 told Wolverines players that no place had an impact on him like Michigan. He made it no secret that he was thrilled by the Michigan Wolverines’ victory over Riley’s USC Trojans. 

So much so that he confessed, “I loved seeing Michigan k- -k USC’s b- – -, that’s for sure.” Well, it’s not a shock since the GOAT had played for the Wolverines from 1995 to 1999. Now, did the inclination towards Michigan come out of Brady’s unfulfilled dreams?

Not many know the 7x Super Bowl champ grew up in San Mateo, California, and wanted to go to the University of Southern California. The GOAT once poured out his heart, “USC turned me down in 1995. They took another quarterback named John Fox, and they moved him to tight end a few years after he got there.” 

But it turns out that the feelings have changed over time. Juju Watkins started by telling Tom Brady she’s a “big fan” of his and asking for advice as she continues recovering from an ACL tear she suffered during March Madness. And the GOAT said how life always “goes back full circle” before answering her question. With the No. 1 spot in 2026 recruiting already locked, can Tom Brady’s GOAT aura help Lincoln Riley and USC win the ultimate recruiting war?