Head coach Lincoln Riley’s USC Trojans are back on top of the 2026 recruiting rankings.
A big pledge on Thursday shot the team back atop On3’s rankings, with a class that now sports two five-star commits, 11 four-stars and 11 three-stars.
USC Takes Over Top Spot in 2025 Recruiting Rankings After Commitment From OT Keenyi Pepe
It was a four-star recruit — Bradenton (Fla.) IMG Academy four-star offensive tackle Keenyi Pepe — who helped push the Trojans back to No. 1, ahead of LSU, Ohio State and Notre Dame.
Pepe — the No. 44 overall recruit and No. 5 offensive tackle in the nation — is the 25th commit to the Trojans this cycle, the biggest class in the country as Riley attempts to return the program to glory. Pepe is the seventh top-100 recruit for USC this cycle, and the sixth offensive lineman.
Riley has put a big focus on the trenches this cycle on both sides of the football. Draper (Utah) Corner Canyon’s four-star Esun Tafa, the No. 17 IOL in the 2026 class committed last month, and three other three-star linemen, Folsom (Calif.) OT Vlad Dyakonov, Denver Valor Christian IOL Kannon Smith and Mountain View (Calif.) St. Francis IOL John Fifita committed since the beginning of March.
On defense, Richardson (Texas) four-star DL Jaimeon Winfield, Santa Ana (Calif.) Mater Dei four-star DL Tomuhini Topui and Chicago Mount Carmel four-star DL Braedon Jones are all on board. Winfield is the No. 94 overall recruit and No. 7 defensive lineman in the country.
The defense, which also secured commitments from Gainesville (Ga.) five-star linebacker Xavier Griffin — the No. 2 linebacker in the 2026 class — and Rancho Cucamonga (Calif.) five-star cornerback RJ Sermons — the No. 3 cornerback in the 2026 class — should be formidable. The Trojans also secured commitments from two more four-star prospects on defense, a cornerback and EDGE.
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On offense, Frankfort Heights (Ill.) Lincoln-Way East four-star quarterback Jonas Williams is the No. 8 quarterback in the country and Painesville (Ohio) Harvey four-star running back Shahn Alston and Los Angeles Oaks Christian four-star RB Deshonne Redeaux are the No. 11 and No. 13 running backs, respectively, in the cycle. The Trojans also have two four-star and two three-star receiver recruits coming in.
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