USC Trojans, Lincoln Riley Biggest Recruiting Winners? Mark Bowman, Elbert Hill, Keenyi Pepe

The USC Trojans and coach Lincoln Riley are on fire when it comes to recruiting for the class of 2026. Out of the top 10 commitments made in the month of May, USC received three of them with tight end Mark Bowman, cornerback Elbert Hill, and offensive tackle Keenyi Pepe.

USC Trojans Dominate Recruiting in Month of May

Archbishop Hoban's Elbert 'Roc' Hill IV runs with the ball in the first half of a football game against Central York at Panthers Stadium on Oct. 18, 2024, in Springettsbury Township. | Dan Rainville / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The USC Trojans currently have the No. 1 ranked recruiting class for 2026 per 247Sports. USC has an astounding 27 commits. This is by far the most out of any school in a Power Four conference. This class is led by a pair of five-stars in offensive tackle Keenyi Pepe and tight end Mark Bowman. They were two of the more recent commits.

Furthermore, they were each one of On3’s top 10 recruits to announce their commitment in the month of May. Four-star cornerback Elbert Hill along with Pepe and Bowman committed to USC and was in On3’s top 10 commitments form May.

Here is the complete list from On3 of the top 10 commitments in May.

1. Jackson Cantwell, Miami Hurricanes
2. Jared Curtis, Georgia Bulldogs
3. Mark Bowman, USC Trojans
4. Elbert Hill, USC Trojans
5. Izayia Williams, Ole Miss Rebels
6. Keenyi Pepe, USC Trojans
7. Jeremaine Bishop Jr., Texas Longhorns
8. Jordan Smith, Georgia Bulldogs
9. Kayden Dixon-Wyatt, Ohio State Buckeyes
10. Javian Osborne, Notre Dame Fighting Irish

No other school besides Georgia has more than one recruit on this list while USC has three in the top six.

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USC Ranked No. 1 In 2026 Recruiting, Notre Dame Fighting Irish and LSU Tigers Right Behind

Oct 14, 2023; South Bend, Indiana, USA; USC Trojans head coach Lincoln Riley and Notre Dame Fighting Irish head coach Marcus Freeman chat before the game at Notre Dame Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matt Cashore-Imagn Images | Matt Cashore-Imagn Images

The USC Trojans 2026 recruiting is ranked No. 1 in according to both 247Sports and On3. The 27 commitments they have received is well above the team’s ranked No. 2.

247Sports Composite has the Notre Dame Fighting Irish ranked No. 2 behind USC. The Fighting Irish have 16 commits, with zero five-stars, 15 four-stars, and one three-star. Notre Dame’s highest graded commit is edge rusher Rodney Dunham.

On3 has the LSU Tigers in the No. 2 spot with nine commits; two five-stars, six four-stars, and one three-star. LSU’s highest graded commit is wide receiver Tristen Keys.

USC hopes that this recruiting class can begin to turn things around for the program. It has been a long time since the Trojans were consistently competing for conference and national championships. Since Pete Carroll left for the NFL in 2009, it has been tough sledding for the USC Trojans football program. The Trojans won the Pac-12 every season under Carroll from 2002 through 2008. Since then, USC has won only one conference title, the Pac-12 in 2017.

It will not get easier for the Trojans now being in the Big Ten conference with elite programs like the Ohio State Buckeyes, Michigan Wolverines, and Oregon Ducks.