USC Trojans recruiting is on a real heater and is showing no signs of slowing down. The staff and front office that Lincoln Riley and Jen Cohen have built are really one of the best in all of football, and it is already on display.
In this era of NIL, it can sometimes be hard to tell if a player is committing for the love and belief in the program or purely for the dollar signs. Things can certainly change, but at this moment, it truly feels that this young 2026 class is fired up to be Trojans.
Talk is cheap, as they say, but one way that these verbal commits are putting their actions where their words are is in the way they are actively recruiting other players, especially in California, to join them at USC. I constantly see recruits saying, “This class is going to be special,” and “I want to be part of something great.”
The USC Trojans’ most recent commit, Simote Katoanga, echoed this sentiment.
USC Trojans Commits Hot On The Recruiting Trail
In an interview with Steve Wiltfong of On3, he said:
“I chose USC because I want to be part of the change and revival. I always hear of USC being a powerhouse, but I grew up seeing that in Oregon. I want to be the team that inspires California kids to stay home and play for the Cardinal and Gold. I decided now because why wait for the inevitable.”
Being a part of the revival and something special. That is the vibe around this program right now, and it is exciting to hear recruits talk about it. And to further demonstrate this, is when commits push their teammates and interleague rivals to join them.
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“Yeah, trying to get my boys Trent (Mosley) and Talanoa (Ili)!” Katoanga said.
Mosley, a wide receiver, is a teammate of Katoanga’s at Rancho Santa Margarita. The 4-star prospect is the 29th-ranked receiver in the country, per On3 industry rankings, and just received a prediction from Wiltfong to commit to the Trojans.
Ili is the 4th-ranked LB in the entire country and plays at Orange Lutheran. Oregon is currently the leader in the predictions, but if SC were able to gain his commitment, the pairing of Ili and Xavier Griffin (the 2nd-ranked LB) would be the best LB pairing in all of college football.
Vibes are high now, and the USC Trojans will look to keep the momentum rolling.