Six Intriguing Freshmen for USC Trojans This Spring

The USC Trojans signed a massive recruiting class in December, a majority of which are set to begin spring practice on Tuesday, March 3.

It’s an exceptional group of freshman. Here are six intriguing players to keep an eye out for over the next month.

Mark Bowman, Tight End

USC Trojans Lincoln Riley Recruiting Class Early Enrollee Spring Practice Mark Bowman Peyton Dyer Breck Kolojay Elbert Hill — Aug 30, 2025; Los Angeles, California, USA; Southern California Trojans head coach Lincoln Riley watches from the sidelines against the Missouri State Bears in the first half at United Airlines Field at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

Nothing is going to be given to five-star tight end Mark Bowman. With that said, the Trojans aren’t set to make the Mater Dei (Calif.) product one of the highest-paid freshmen in the country this season for him not to have a significant role.

Bowman is ultra-talented with a rare skillet of someone with his size. The tight end position became a big part of the USC offense in 2025 and something head coach Lincoln Riley wants to become the new norm in his offense. And Bowman has more raw physical talent than the two guys that just left the room.

Developing a rapport with quarterback Jayden Maiava, gaining a firm understanding of the playbook and improving as a blocker are going to be key for Bowman this spring.

Peyton Dyer, Safety

USC is going to be without starting safety Christian Pierce this spring as he recovers from shoulder surgery. It’s a position they are already thin at this spring. The Trojans did not add any safeties in the transfer portal after losing Kamari Ramsey and Bishop Fitzgerald to the draft. Kennedy Urlacher played a key role the final three and half games at safety after a pair of injuries in front of him and redshirt sophomore Marquis Gallegos returns.

In addition to being thin at safety, USC is inexperienced at the position, which makes the development of someone like four-star Peyton Dyer that much more important this spring. The Georgia native is a Swiss Army Knife in the secondary that could end up being a key depth piece.

Three-star Madden Riordan can play nickel and safety but with depth questions, the Trojans may need him to play safety.

Trent Mosley, Receiver

At the moment, Trent Mosley, is the only freshman receiver for Southern Cal that is going to play in the slot next year. It’s a big role to fill with the departure of Biletnikoff Award winner Makai Lemon.

Mosley is one of the Trojans prized recruits from Southern California this most recent cycle. The four-star recruit is coming off a prolific career. He dominated the Trinity League, a prestigious conference made up of six elite private schools.

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Mosley was named the Trinity League MVP honors as a sophomore and this past season, guided Santa Margarita (Calif.) to a state championship, earning MaxPreps California Player of the Year honors.

He is competing with redshirt sophomore Zacharyus Williams and redshirt freshman Romeo Ison for a starting position this season.

Breck Kolojay, Guard/Center

Breck Kolojay could end up playing center or guard for the Trojans, and one player that could impact Kolojay is redshirt junior Tobias Raymond. Offensive line coach Zach Hanson announced during his press conference this spring that Raymond would get some reps at center this spring and did not count out him staying there in the fall.

USC returns all five starters on the offensive line from last season. The most likely player that could shake things up is Kolojay. The 6-foot-6, 325-pound IMG Academy (Fla.) product was heavily coveted recruit by schools such as Georgia and Miami but the Trojans went all-in on him because of his intense style of play.

As USC wants to establish themselves as one of the more physical teams in the country at the line of scrimmage, Kolojay personifies what they want to be.

Talanoa Ili, Linebacker

One player that has the potential to create some buzz coming out of the spring is four-star linebacker Talanoa Ili. The 6-foot-3, 225-pound uber-athletic Ili can play every linebacker position. He’s effective rushing the passer and can be a traditional off-ball linebacker.

Before he transferred to the islands for his senior year, Ili starred at Orange Lutheran, where he first burst onto the scene starting as a freshman in the Trinity League. The No. 90 overall prospect and No. 6 linebacker, per the 247Sports Composite Rankings can certainly carve out a role on special teams next season.

Elbert Hill, Cornerback

Another player that could generate buzz is four-star Elbert Hill, the top-ranked cornerback according to ESPN. Hill isn’t the biggest player, but the Ohio native is a tremendous athlete with great technique.

With veterans Jontez Williams and Chasen Johnson recovering from season-ending injuries, the Trojans are going to invest a ton of reps into its large group of young cornerbacks. It's a competition that won't be settled in the spring and there's a good chance it carries into the early part of the season. Hill can gain some momentum and make a case to be part of the two-deep.