USC football recruiting isn't slowing down; if anything, it is gaining altitude
USC football recruiting isn't slowing down; if anything, it is gaining altitude USC's Oregon flip confirms recruiting surge under Chad Bowden
After decommitting from Oregon last week, four-star defensive lineman Tomuhini Topui had been heavily trending towards USC. On Tuesday, Topui made it official: He will be a Trojan.
Landing Topui is yet another a massive addition to USC's already top-ranked 2026 recruiting class. According to 247Sports Composite, he is the No. 130 overall player and the No. 15 defensive lineman in the class of 2026.
Topui attends Mater Dei High School in Santa Ana. Perhaps the most well-known feeder program for USC, Mater Dei has produced numerous past Trojans stars, including Matt Leinart, Matt Barkley, and Amon-Ra St. Brown. Reestablishing a strong pipeline with the program would be huge for Bowden and USC in future recruiting cycles.
Perhaps even more notable, however, is the fact that the Trojans beat out the Ducks to land him. In recent cycles, Oregon had been landing the vast majority of top recruits on the West Coast. With this 2026 class, however, Chad Bowen and Lincoln Riley are sending a clear message that they intend to change that moving forward.
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