When it rains, it pours. Just a day after the USC football program was placed on NCAA probation and fined $50,000, the Trojans took another hit with on the recruiting front.

On Wednesday morning, USC’s four-star defensive lineman commit Hayden Lowe told On3’s Hayes Fawcett that he flipped his commitment from the Trojans to the Miami Hurricanes. This comes days after USC head coach Lincoln Riley visited Lowe during his Friday night game this past weekend.

It’s a tough loss for the Trojans who have been looking to retool their defensive front with the addition of USC co-defensive coordinators Eric Henderson and D’Anton Lynn.

Lowe’s decision to play for Miami was in part to work with Miami defensive ends coach and six-time Pro Bowler Jason Taylor.

“In order to be the best, you have to be coached by the best and someone that has actually went through what you’re going through,” Lowe said about Taylor to On3. “So, I feel like nobody in college football has that power to instill what you want other than Jason Taylor — because he’s gone through it. He’s been against the best of the best. He’s gone through all the struggles, he’s won games, he’s won Super Bowls, holds records. There’s no other coach on the planet that can really give you the information that he can.”

Greg Biggins of 247Sports wrote that Lowe has all the tools and size to be one of the best edge rushers in the class of 2025.

“Lowe is one of the top edge rushers in the ’25 class. He has a prototype 6-4, 240 pound frame…is a plus athlete and shows the ability to play just about anywhere along the defensive line. He’s a naturally strong kid who can take on double teams…he’s equally strong playing the run or rushing the quarterback…he hails from the same program that produced former Oregon and NY Giant 1st round pick Kayvon Thibodeaux and his coaches at Oaks feel his upside is just as high,” Biggins wrote.

It’s a big loss to say the least for the Trojans as USC saw their 2025 recruiting class drop in rankings according to 247Sports. The Trojans dropped from having a top 10 class, sitting at No. 10, dropping to No. 12 after the loss of Lowe.

USC loses one of their highest rated defensive prospects with Lowe flipping. It’s been a tough week for USC off the field, not only did Lowe announce his flip to the Hurricanes, but multiple recruiting sites have pegged predicitions for the Men of Troy to lose their crown jewel of their 2025 recruiting class in quarterback commit Julian Lewis.

On3’s Steve Wiltfong and 247Sports’ Tom Loy both put in predictions over the past week indicating that Lewis, a Trojan commit, could end up flipping to Colorado.

News also broke Wednesday morning that Lewis would end up taking a visit to Georgia this week. The Trojans have had a bad season on the field and the results are translating off the field with Lewis having a wandering eye for other schools and Lowe decommitting.

The Trojans must rally to end the season to bring back more confidence from the recruiting end and if USC can piece together a positive three game stretch to end the season vs. Nebraska, UCLA, and Notre Dame.

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While the Miami Dolphins are concentrating on making a run for the playoffs this season, it is never too early to start thinking about the 2025 NFL draft.

The Dolphins have area scouts on the road, attending various college games and visiting campuses to evaluate the best for 2025.

USA Today has come out with its latest first-round mock draft Wednesday.

Writer Michael Middlehurst-Schwartz based his mock draft on the draft order based on the current standings, and the Dolphins currently would have the 10th selection with their 3-6 record. With that 10th overall pick, Middlehurst-Schwartz projected safety Malaki Starks from the University of Georgia going to the Dolphins.

Part of his reasoning is Jevon Holland is a pending free agent, as are fellow safeties Jorday Poyer, Marcus Mayes and Elijah Campbell.

“While the NFL hasn’t had a safety selected in the top 10 since Jamal Adams went sixth overall in 2017, Starks should earn consideration to go early on Day 1 as a do-it-all defender who constantly puts himself in position to make big plays,” Middlehurst-Schwartz wrote.

Starks has 31 tackles this season, one interception, and one pass broken up. His statistics are down this season compared to the last two seasons when he was involved in more passes broken up and had more interceptions.

Starks had one of his best games against then-ranked No. 1 Texas when he had seven tackles and led the Bulldogs to a 30-15 upset victory in Austin.

The Dolphins’ only safety under contract for 2025 is rookie sixth-round pick Patrick McMorris, who was placed on injured reserve on August 29 but began practicing again last week.

Miami Dolphins On SI on Social Media

Data Skrive

At 7 p.m. ET on Wednesday, the Kent State Golden Flashes (0-9) take on Keyon Mozee and the Miami (OH) RedHawks (5-4).

The matchup is on ESPNU, if you’re searching for how to watch.

Keep up with college football all season on FOX Sports.

Learn more about the Miami (OH) RedHawks and the Kent State Golden Flashes.

How to Watch Miami (OH) vs. Kent State

• When: Wednesday, November 13, 2024 at 7 p.m. ET
• Location: Fred C. Yager Stadium in Oxford, Ohio
• Live Box Score: FOX Sports

Read More About This Game

• Miami (OH) vs. Kent State Predictions

Miami (OH) vs. Kent State: Head to Head

• Against Kent State, Miami (OH) has totaled two wins over the past two matchups.
• The RedHawks’ record ATS is 2-0 in the last two times they have gone up against the Golden Flashes while the scoring hasn’t managed to go over the total.
• Kent State has scored 23 fewer points than Miami (OH) in their past two games.

Miami (OH)’s 2024 Schedule

Miami (OH) 2024 Stats & Insights

• Miami (OH) is totaling 352.8 yards per game on offense (99th in the FBS), and rank 39th on defense, yielding 335.4 yards allowed per game.
• From an offensive standpoint, Miami (OH) ranks 71st in the FBS with 226.6 passing yards per game. Meanwhile, the defense ranks 32nd in passing yards allowed per contest (194.1).
• Defensively, the RedHawks have been a top-25 unit, ranking 25th-best by surrendering just 20 points per game. They rank 102nd on offense (23.2 points per game).
• The RedHawks are averaging 126.2 rushing yards per game on offense, which ranks them 98th in the FBS. On the defensive side of the ball, they rank 59th, allowing 141.3 rushing yards per contest.
• Miami (OH) has been a bottom-25 offense on third down this season, ranking 17th-worst with a 33.9% third-down conversion rate. Defensively, the RedHawks rank 95th in the FBS (42.1% third-down percentage allowed).
• With 14 forced turnovers (45th in the FBS) against 10 turnovers committed (35th in the FBS), the RedHawks’ +4 turnover margin ranks 34th in college football.

Miami (OH) 2024 Key Players

Kent State’s 2024 Schedule

Kent State 2024 Stats & Insights

• Kent State has plenty of room to get better, as it ranks worst in total yards per game (235.8) and worst in total yards allowed per game (526.9).
• In terms of passing, this season has been hard for Kent State on both offense and defense, as it is posting just 161.3 passing yards per contest (10th-worst) and ceding 263.1 passing yards per game (15th-worst).
• The Golden Flashes have plenty of room to improve, as they rank second-worst in points per game (15.1) this season and worst in points surrendered per game (46).
• In terms of rushing, this season has been ugly for the Golden Flashes on both sides of the ball, as they are compiling just 74.4 rushing yards per contest (worst) and allowing 263.8 rushing yards per game (worst).
• In terms of third-down efficiency, this season has been difficult for Kent State on both sides of the ball, as it is averaging a 19.3% third-down conversion rate (worst) and allowing a 47.9% conversion rate (seventh-worst).
• The Golden Flashes have fared poorly in terms of turnovers, as the team’s turnover margin of -10 is ninth-worst in the FBS.

Kent State 2024 Key Players

FOX Sports created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.

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