Touted cornerback Chris Steele will be at USC this fall.



For Oregon fans, that realization comes with surprise, maybe even shock, and disappointment. It was just three weeks ago that Steele, a four-star prospect who was one of the top-50 players nationally in the 2019 recruiting class, announced that he would transfer to Oregon after signing with Florida and going through spring practice with the Gators. That news, combined with the school’s best-ever recruiting class, continued to send expectations through the roof for the program. Even The Athletic got caught up in it: “Who says recruiting is over? Chris Steele’s transfer decision means Oregon’s class gets even better”



That was May 14. Tuesday, Steele was on the phone with Oregon coaches, telling them that he would not be coming to Eugene after all. Instead, he was headed to hometown USC — coincidentally the school that had earned his second commitment. As a high school sophomore,...