When USC took an apparent shot at Notre Dame after a big recruiting win, the approach seemed a bit odd considering how much the Fighting Irish have dominated the Trojans on the field. However, when one of ND’s recruiting coordinators took aim at Penn State, he did it the right way.
It seems like social media is increasingly being used by schools to ramp up rivalries off the field. Auman used Twitter for that very reason earlier this week, just after 4-star running back Isaiah Rogers picked Notre Dame over the Nittany Lions and a bunch of other Power Conference programs.
Not long after Notre Dame secured Rogers’ commitment, Auman posted a picture of Jeremiyah Love leaping over a Penn State defender. He captioned it simply with two cloves and a salute emoji.
☘️☘️🫡 pic.twitter.com/OmH0fssf11
— Carter Auman (@CarterAuman) March 30, 2026
Carter Auman gave Notre Dame football a better Penn State jab than USC managed against the Irish
Auman’s slight aimed at Matt Campbell’s program had the required subtlety that all good insults include. However, it was better than USC’s apparent shot at the Irish in part because it was very, very clear what the intent was. The Trojans’ social media taunt was so indirect that several schools all thought they were the target.
There’s also the most important detail. This wasn’t impotent posturing about a recruiting win from a school that couldn’t get over the hump on the field. The recruiting rivalry between Notre Dame and Penn State has been heating up because of Marcus Freeman’s manhandling of PSU in the 2024 College Football Playoff.
Even the use of Love in the picture had several subtle meanings. Not the least of which was that the running back had one of the most iconic runs in modern college football history in the playoff game.
In short, Carter Auman not only delivered a solid burn on behalf of Notre Dame through social media posts, but also delivered a lesson USC should model itself on going forward.