UCLA Loses Battle for 4-Star LB

The UCLA Bruins' 2026 recruiting class hot streak reached it's first road bump in a couple weeks as four-star linebacker and No. 1 overall recruit out of Hawaii, Talanoa Ili, opted to commit to crosstown rival USC on Sunday.

Ili, the nation's No. 3 overall linebacker and No. 54 overall player for the class of 2026, narrowed his choices down to UCLA and USC before making his live decision on 247Sports' YouTube channel.

"I wanted to continue that legacy and bring everything back to USC," Ili said after his announcement. "Everything that they've been wanting. I'm just blessed and grateful to be here. I see the vision. I trust it. And I want to win a national championship."

Ili had official visits with Oklahoma, Texas, Notre Dame and BYU lined up through the rest of the month but cancelled those trips ahead of making his decision between the crosstown rivals.

Ili will join the Trojans' No. 1 recruiting class of the 2026 cycle already. He is USC's 18th four-star pledge and 29th overall commitment for the class.

Ili visited with DeShaun Foster and the Bruins in May and was looking to continue an insane recruiting/commitment hot streak from the last week. Ili would've been UCLA's highest-rated 2026 pledge and Foster's highest-rated recruit of his coaching tenure, just over a week after landing four-star offensive linemen Micah Smith and Johnnie Jones.

In May, 247Sports' Greg Biggins evaluated Ili. Here's what he had to say about the highly-touted recruit:

"Ili recently made the move from Southern California to Hawaii and will play his senior year at Island powerhouse Kahuku. Was a three-year starter at Orange Lutheran, one of the state's top program and was arguably the best all around linebacker in the state, regardless of class, as a junior. Offers a ton of positional versatility and is capable of playing all three 'backer positions and in any type of defensive scheme. Physical enough and has the frame to play inside, athletic enough to cover and play in space and offers pass rush ability as well. A big hitter who loves contact, decisive making reads and can get downhill in a hurry. Fluid in coverage and looks comfortable checking tight ends and even running backs out of the backfield. Plays with suddenness and can explode through gaps and is always in attack mode. Still pretty lean but has the frame to easily add good weight and should play close to 240 pounds or so at the next level. With his all around skill set to go along with his toughness and compete level, Ili has a great chance to be a multi-year starter in college as well and an early impact player."