Early Friday morning, USC quarterback commit Malachi Nelson tweeted “stay tuned..” and it sent Texas A&M Twitter into a tizzy. Aggie fans assumed the 5-star quarterback — who took an unofficial to visit College Station in late July — was gearing up to share some personal news.

Then 5-star wideout commit Zachariah Branch sent out a signal something good was coming for USC faithful. Then USC head coach Lincoln Riley did the same.

Turns out Nelson was teasing an announcement from a player he’ll soon be playing catch with. Sorry, Aggies. USC has landed a commitment from 4-star wideout Ja’Kobi Lane — a surprising and late push for a receiver many believed was Oregon-bound. Nelson picked the Trojans over Oregon, Kansas State, and… imagine that… Texas A&M.

And Nelson sounds pretty happy.

Lane is a 6-foot-5 receiver from Mesa (Az.) Red Mountain. He’s a 4-star recruit in the industry-generated 247 Composite and the 49th-ranked wideout in the class.

His recruitment really took off over the summer, with offers from Auburn, A&M, and Oregon rolling in from June 15-July 30. USC extended an offer on Aug. 3. Seven Crystal Ball predictions for Oregon to land his came in, and at the end of the day it was the Trojans on top.

MaxPreps credits Lane with 76 receptions for 990 yards and 14 touchdowns as a junior last fall. He also threw a pair of touchdown passes and intercepted a pass. 247Sports’ Blair Angulo had this to say on his game:

Tall, slim and lanky prospect with high-major length potential and physical upside. Long striding receiver with ridiculous high-point ability. Flashes elite aerial skills to go up for the football in tight situations. Shows remarkable body control and flexibility. A major force near the goal line where he can sky over defenders for possession. Deceptively quick off the line of scrimmage given his frame composition and seemingly glides through space as a route runner. Very good hands, oftentimes making flashy, highlight-reel catches. Could continue to improve straight-line speed and needs to add physical component. Potential multi-year starter at elite Power Five level with very good chance to garner NFL Draft attention.

Lane’s verbal pledge gives USC its 17th known commitment for the 2023 class. The group currently ranks 13th nationally with known commitments from 10 different blue-chip prospects. You can view Lane’s highlight tape below, via Hudl: