The Fight On emoji went out Saturday night in tweets from USC's main football account, head coach Lincoln Riley and others, signaling the first commitment off of the Trojans' big weekend of official visits.
And on Sunday morning, three-star offensive tackle Hayden Treter announced the news himself.
Treter, from Englewood, Colorado, was one of a dozen key recruits USC hosted this weekend, including several top offensive line targets.
The 6-foot-6, 300-pounder becomes the Trojans' first offensive line commit in this 2024 recruiting class and the fourth commit overall, joining four-star running back Bryan Jackson, four-star wide receiver Xavier Jordan and three-star wide receiver/tight end Joey Olsen.
"I always told myself I'd commit when I felt like it was the right time, and this weekend it felt right," Treter told TrojanSports.com. "The entire time I felt like a teammate and not a kid. There was a lot of respect there. But being completely honest, that's exactly what I knew would happen."
This was Treter's first ever visit to USC, and the Trojans closed the deal quickly.
"It was my first [visit], but nothing surprised me," Treter said. "The staff did a great job of showing me what they're about. I [also] enjoyed spending my time with current players."
He confirmed he won't be taking any other official visits.
While Treter is the Trojans' first offensive line commit for 2024, OL coach Josh Henson has been loading up on talent and rebuilding the depth of the unit since he arrived last year. USC signed five offensive linemen in the 2023 recruiting class, plus JUCO pickup Cooper Lovelace, along with three transfers this year in projected starters Michael Tarquin, Jarrett Kingston and Emmanuel Pregnon (and not counting 2022 transfer Bobby Haskins, who graduated).
That's a significant overhaul of a position group in a short period of time.
And Treter's connection with Henson was one of the main reasons driving his decision.
"Coach Henson knows his [stuff]. He develops guys fast and does it in an enjoyable way," he said.
