USC Trojans Elite Commit Shuts Down Recruitment

We are still months away from Signing Day, and the USC Trojans still have actual football to play in 2025, but the momentum with the No. 1 2026 Class is palpable. Today, they scored another big win in keeping this class intact.

Priority commit, 5-star offensive lineman Keenyi Pepe, announced today that he is shutting down his recruitment and is fully committed to USC.

USC Trojans Commit Keenyi Pepe Shuts Down Recruitment

The elite offensive tackle committed to the USC Trojans earlier this month, and it sounds like he has plenty of conviction in that decision. In an interview with Rivals, he said that he will not be taking any other visits and is locked in with the Trojans.

“I feel like being committed and taking other visits is like going on other dates when you’re married,” Pepe told Rivals. “I’m staying committed and staying with one school. I’m not bouncing around with schools.”

This has to be extremely refreshing for USC fans to hear after a roller coaster recruiting cycle in 2024. Many recruits, headlined by QB Julian Lewis, took numerous visits after committing to USC and seemingly almost used the Trojans as a bargaining chip.

Pepe has no intention of doing that and is excited to play college football closer to home.

“It’s just closer to home,” Pepe told Rivals. “I know I said a lot of other times that location didn’t matter, but when I went to USC, my whole family came out. It was my mom’s first time going on a visit with me. It felt different.”

Pepe is a Southern California native but plays his high school football at IMG Academy in Bradenton, Florida.

Since cancelling all of his other visits, Pepe will simply have an official visit to USC on June 17th. Pepe’s roommate at IMG, 4-star iOL Breck Kolojay, will be joining him on the official visit. Can the Trojans gain a commitment from him as well? Time will tell.

This is huge for Lincoln Riley and the continuing build of the 2026 class.