What 4-Star Recruit Malakai Lee Said About USC Trojans Ahead of Weekend Visit

Honolulu (Hawaii) Kamehameha four-star offensive tackle Malakai Lee is one of a number of blue-chip recruits the USC Trojans will host this weekend as they wrap up spring practice.

The highly sought after prospect has been busy this spring, taking unofficial visits with Alabama, BYU and Michigan. Lee took an unofficial and official visit with Georgia. BYU, Michigan and Georgia have all traveled out to Hawaii to visit Lee over the past couple of weeks, showing him how much of a priority recruit he truly is.

Still, the Trojans have remained the favorites to land the 6-7, 310-pound Lee according to the On3 Recruiting Prediction Machine. Lee will get an in-depth look at USC this weekend. It will be first time back in Los Angeles for the first time since he attended the Trojans regular season finale. USC defensive ends coach Shaun Nua visited Lee at his school in January. Lee has an official visit scheduled for June 6.

Sep 7, 2024; Los Angeles, California, USA; USC Trojans head coach Lincoln Riley reacts against the Utah State Aggies during the second quarter at United Airlines Field at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Jonathan Hui-Imagn Images | Jonathan Hui-Imagn Images

USC has a long and rich tradition of great Polynesian players that stretches across generations.

They have been building a recruiting class to help carry on that tradition with commitments from Santa Margarita (Calif.) four-star EDGE Simote Katoanga, Mater Dei (Calif.) four-star defensive lineman Tomuhini Topui, Corner Canyon (Utah) four-star interior offensive lineman Esun Tafa and St. Francis (Calif.) three-star interior offensive lineman John Fifita.

“The history and the culture are things I really like about USC,” Lee told On3. “The coaches are great at USC. They are on the west coast and they have a lot of Poly’s there, so having that family foundation there would be nice. They have developed a lot of Poly’s too, so that is another thing I like about USC.”

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The Trojans remain in hot pursuit in a trio of highly coveted Polynesian athletes in IMG Academy (Fla.) five-star offensive tackle Keenyi Pepe, Kahuku (Hawaii) four-star linebacker Talanoa Ili and Orange Lutheran (Calif.) four-star interior offensive lineman Samuel Utu. Ili played with Utu at Orange Lutheran the last three years before transferring out to Hawaii in the spring. Pepe is the younger brother of USC redshirt senior defensive tackle Kobe Pepe.

USC has loaded up on offensive linemen in this 2026 cycle. In addition to Tafa and Fifita, the Trojans also hold commitments from Folsom (Calif.) four-star offensive tackle Vlad Dyakonov, Valor Christian (Colo.) four-star offensive tackle Kannon Smith and Cathedral Catholic (Calif.) three-star offensive tackle Chase Deniz. The Trojans hold a total of 23 commitments in their No. 1 ranked recruiting class for the 2026 cycle.

Lee plans to lock in a commitment date sometime in July after taking his official visits. The Hawaii native has talked about what he is looking for when he makes his decision.

“Development, education and where I feel most at home are the three most important things in my decision,” Lee told On3.

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