One Key Question for USC Offensive Tackle Keenyi Pepe Before Freshman Season

USC freshman offensive tackle Keenyi Pepe is originally from Southern California but played all four years of high school football at IMG Academy (Fla.).

The Trojans made it a high priority to bring Pepe, a four-time MaxPreps All-American, back home. His older brother, former defensive tackle Kobe Pepe, exhausted his eligibility this past season, so Keenyi was very familiar with the program.

USC Trojans Recruiting Class Keenyi Pepe NFL Draft Spring Practice IMG Academy Zach Hanson Early Enrollee Freshman Recruit — (#44) Keenyi Pepe, OL, 6'7, 330 pounds, for the white team, Class of 2026, during IMG's Academy Pro Day held at IMG's football field in Bradenton, FL on Thursday, Feb, 27, 2025. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

USC battled Miami, Florida and Georgia for the No. 5 overall prospect and No. 1 offensive tackle according to 247Sports, and the Trojans landed a pledge from him last May, just before the start of official visit season. Pepe was the highest ranked player in the Trojans No. 1 class according to 247Sports.

IMG Academy has produced several high-profile five-star offensive tackles in recent memory. JC Latham became an All-Conference player at Alabama and was selected by the Tennessee Titans with the No. 7 overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft. Francis Mauigoa was an All-American player at Miami and played a vital role in the Canes' run to the national championship game this past season. He was selected No. 10 overall pick in April’s Draft.

Jordan Seaton was a Freshman All-American and All-Conference player in his two seasons at Colorado before transferring to LSU this offseason. Seaton is projected as the top offensive tackle in next year’s NFL Draft.

It’s an impressive lineage. Does Pepe prove to the next great offensive tackle from IMG in year one?

Keenyi Pepe Makes Impression in Spring Practice

USC Trojans Breck Kolojay Zach Hanson Keenyi Pepe Injury Elijah Paige Recruiting IMG Academy Tobias Raymond Spring Practice — USC Trojans offensive line coach Zach Hanson and freshman offensive tackle Chase Deniz | USC Trojans on SI

Pepe has elite size at 6-foot-7 and 330 pounds. He saw extended reps this spring with starting left tackle Elijah Paige limited and starting right tackle Justin Tauanuu out after undergoing offseason surgery.

“Pepe is an interesting combination of size and power that a lot of time it takes years of a college offseason to develop but he’s an athletic guy too,” said USC coach Lincoln Riley in March. “He’s not heavy footed, he’s smart, he’s been in here a lot, he’s worked hard to study it. He’s getting more and more confident each day and as he gets more confident, we’re going to see those physical gifts that he has translate more and more to the competitive situations.

“Each day you can tell it’s a little bit better. He’s got a bright future and he’s one of those guys with his ability as soon as the light comes on he’ll be hard to keep him off the field.”

Pepe will continue to push Paige and Tauanuu when fall camp rolls around. Offensive line coach Zach Hanson spoke in April during USC's assistant coach media brunch about Pepe’s progression since he’s arrived on campus.

“I think his confidence level has grown like in himself," Hanson said. "I moved him over to right to kind of start the thing out, which kind of threw a little bit of a wrench in the plans for him, I think. As we progressed and he started to learn the offense better, I moved him back to left some too.

“And you can tell there's a there's a comfortability level, there just some pass sets and things like that. But he did a great job at right too. Really excited about him, and he's exactly who we thought he was going to be.”

USC Trojans' Offensive Line Depth

Offensive tackle is one of the strongest positions on the Trojans roster. Redshirt freshman Elijah Vaikona saw action in four games last season and has put together an impressive offseason. He offers versatility along the offensive front. Redshirt freshman Aaron Dunn is a former four-star recruit in the 2025 class.

Freshman Vlad Dyakonov continued to shoot up the recruiting rankings his senior season as he helped lead Folsom (Calif.) to a state championship. The four-star recruit was a top 150 recruit in the 2026 class.

“I think we have a lot of tackle depth that we feel really good about, which is a great thing to have,” said Hanson in April.

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