Five Big Takeaways from USC Coach Zach Hanson’s Media Availability

The offensive line is expected to be one of the biggest strengths for the USC Trojans in 2026.

They return all five starters on the offensive line, but a talented group of true freshmen, plus a key position change in the interior and some key depth players from a year ago, created plenty of competition in the spring and could shake things up. Here are five big takeaways from offensive line coach Zach Hanson's post-spring practice media availability.

Offensive Lineman Breck Kolojay Makes Immediate Impression

USC Trojans Breck Kolojay Zach Hanson Keenyi Pepe Injury Elijah Paige Recruiting IMG Academy Tobias Raymond Spring Practice — (#43) Breck Kolojay, OL, 6'6, 317 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. | Thomas Bender/ Sarasota Herald-Tribune / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Riley said at the end of spring practice that guard Breck Kolojay was the “furthest along” among the freshmen on the offensive line. Hanson himself has been impressed with the four-star recruit from IMG Academy (Fla.).

“Breck is a very talented guy. Physically, very far along for a freshman," Hanson said. "To be able to come and do some of the things that he did early on were really impressive. He's got all the makeup, and he's exactly who we thought he was going to be, too, man, so he's going to be exciting.”

The 6-7, 325-pound Kolojay is competing to be a day one starter. Senior Alani Noa, a two-year starter is expected to be locked into one of the guard positions. Redshirt sophomore Hayden Treter, who made his first career start in the Alamo Bowl, is the biggest challenger for Kolojay.

Offensive Lineman Keenyi Pepe Shows Continued Growth in Spring Practice

Keenyi Pepe was the Trojans highest-ranked recruit and the No. 1 offensive tackle in the 2026 class, according to 247Sports. Naturally, it was expected that Pepe would play left tackle, but Hanson revealed during his press conference in February that he would start his collegiate career at right tackle.

“I think his confidence level has grown in himself," Hanson said. "I moved him over to right to 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, they're just on 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 as well.”

Offensive Line Coach Zach Hanson’s Detailed Recruiting Process

Hanson played a pivotal role in the Trojans landing the No. 1 class in the 2026 cycle, signing players such as Pepe, Kolojay and four-stars Vlad Dyakonov and Esun Tafa. The Trojans coach got off to a great start in the 2027 cycle when he was able to flip Servite (Calif.) four-star and top 100 recruit Drew Fielder from Oregon last month. Hanson is in the beginning stages of stacking classes on the offensive line, but he’s been articulate about the process.

Fielder committed to the Ducks in early February and then received an offer from USC late that month. Cherry Creek (Colo.) four-star IOL Jackson Roper, Ewa Beach (Hawaii) Campbell four-star offensive tackle Isaiah Bertola and Valor Christian (Colo.) three-star IOL Reis Russell are the top offensive linemen targets for the Trojans in the 2027 class, all of whom received offers in February.

“The biggest thing is I want to get guys that are dying to be a USC Trojan,” Hanson said. “We're fortunate we get to pick out of a lot of guys just being at this place, the history, the tradition here, all those things. I'm probably a little slower in the process than a lot of people because I want to make sure we're bringing the right people here that want to be here too. And I tell guys all the time, even in recruiting, if you're not dying to be here, go somewhere else."

"I can't get the most out of you if you're not 100 percent in, so I think that’s No. 1. Obviously, all the size characteristics and all that," he continued. "But I think No. 2, for me, outside all that stuff, is the mentality piece."

"How are you gonna attack things? Are you a guy that I'm gonna have to poke and prod every single day to get you to do the things that we need to do here? Are you a guy that's kind of ingrained in you, and Breck is a great example of a guy that has that. That's why he was able to come in and really compete at a high level.”

Offensive Lineman Tobias Raymond’s Position Versatility

Redshirt junior offensive lineman Tobias Raymond began his career at right tackle, it’s where he made his first career start in the Las Vegas Bowl in 2024. He was projected to start there again in 2025, but after the Trojans had to reshuffle their offensive line in fall camp, Raymond moved to left guard.

However, because Elijah Paige missed extended time last season with a pair of injuries, Raymond saw extended reps at left tackle. He’s been versatile and durable along the offensive line, and he could have a new full-time position come the fall. Raymond has been taking reps at center this spring. It’s the position he projects to play at the next level, and it could help USC get its best five players on its offensive line. Nothing has been decided, but it remains a viable option.

“We'll see how it goes. He did a good job there, moving in, never really playing there," Hanson said. The plan, hopefully, is to be able to keep him inside this year. I think we have a lot of tackle depth that we feel really good about, which is a great thing to have. We all saw what he was able to do, kind of across the board last year. He did some really good things. It's going to be a competitive five spots in the two deep here. So I think having that versatility will be really good.”

Creating Position Flexibility

Raymond, a former three-star recruit in the 2023 class, has been an incredibly valuable member of the Trojans' offensive line for the past three seasons because of his position flexibility. Treter is another player who has been able to play tackle and guard in his career. Developing players like those two is a luxury and something USC would like to create more of, but they will not force it.

“Try to be careful with it," Hanson said. "Some of the older guys, you can take advantage of that a little bit more, because they know the plays and the different positions better than a younger guy. Try not to give the young guys too much at one time, but it's kind of on a person-by-person basis, too. Some guys can handle that, other guys can't mentally."

"Try to get a feel for each guy and see how this body type would work at these different spots, the skill set. What's the mental side of it look like now? Can they handle learning multiple spots? And if they can, I try to do it. If they can, I don't.”

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