Luke Wafle shocked the college football world by choosing the USC Trojans—who have yet to make a single College Football Playoff appearance—over the reigning national champions, the Ohio State Buckeyes, fresh off their victory in the inaugural 12-team playoff.
At first glance, the decision seems puzzling. That is, until you learn what USC and head coach Lincoln Riley put on the table.
Wafle, a four-star talent and the No. 10 edge rusher in the 2026 class, announced his commitment to USC on Thursday, June 19, despite a strong push from Ohio State and head coach Ryan Day.
Just hours later, On3’s Steve Wiltfong reported that USC significantly increased their already generous NIL offer—raising it to somewhere between $2.2 and $2.6 million—less than a day before Wafle made his decision.
According to Wiltfong, Day and the Buckeyes made a similar NIL push earlier in the week. In that context, USC’s last-minute offer feels less like a calculated move and more like a scramble to keep pace. Wafle, after all, held offers from over 30 Division I programs—including powerhouses like Ohio State, Notre Dame, Texas, Georgia, Oregon, and Clemson, all of whom participated in the 2024–25 College Football Playoff.
Even before Wafle’s commitment, Lincoln Riley had already locked in the nation’s No. 1 recruiting class for 2026—two spots ahead of Day’s class at Ohio State. A year earlier, it was Day who brought in a top-five group, while Riley’s 2025 class finished at No. 15.
There’s no denying that missing out on Wafle stings. But shelling out $2.6 million for a high school defensive lineman who has yet to play a down at the college level? That’s a price Day—and likely most of the Buckeye program—wasn’t willing to pay.
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