USC Trojans Predicted To Flip 4-Star Tomuhini Topui After De-Commit From Oregon Ducks

Four-star defensive lineman Tomuhini Topui is one of the biggest recruiting targets for the USC Trojans, despite being previously committed to the Oregon Ducks. Topui recently announced his de-commitment, and the Trojans appear to be the favorites to flip him.

Oregon head coach Dan Lanning looks to the clock towards the end of the first half as the Oregon Ducks face the Ohio State Buckeyes Wednesday, Jan. 1, 2025, in the quarterfinal of the College Football Playoff at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, Calif. / Ben Lonergan/The Register-Guard / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Four-star defensive lineman Tomuhini Topui de-committed from the Oregon Ducks on Tuesday. Can the USC Trojans now land the recruit now that he is no longer committed?

Topui has been one of the biggest recruiting targets for the USC coach Lincoln Riley and his staff in the class of 2026 despite his commitment to the Ducks. It appears as though the Trojans have been working hard on Topui, and the elite recruit has decided to re-open his recruitment.

Topui has visited USC's campus multiple times, most recently for the Trojans' junior day in February. He committed to Oregon after visiting Eugene for the Ducks' regular season game against the Ohio State Buckeyes in October, but a few months later, he is available again.

Oregon head coach Dan Lanning looks to the clock towards the end of the first half as the Oregon Ducks face the Ohio State Buckeyes Wednesday, Jan. 1, 2025, in the quarterfinal of the College Football Playoff at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, Calif. / Ben Lonergan/The Register-Guard / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Topui is a consensus four-star recruit. According to 247Sports, he is ranked as the No. 100 overall recruit, the No. 13 defensive lineman, and the No. 15 prospect from the state of California. Should USC land his commitment, it will only strengthen the Trojans' lead on the No. 1 recruiting class in the country for the 2026 cycle.

Upon the hiring of USC general manager Chad Bowden, the Trojans have boosted their recruiting efforts, particularly in California. The change is no accident, either, as Bowden spoke about his recruiting strategy when he arrived in Southern California.

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“We’re going to do everything through the city,” Bowden said. “We’re going to do everything through the state. That’s going to be our primary focus. Now, it doesn’t mean we’re not going to dip into other states because you have to. We’ve done a lot of research. I do a lot of research every place I’ve been. Something that we’ve found is back when national championships were won here, when Rose Bowls were won here, you look at Pete Carroll’s classes - 02, 03, 04 - over 80 percent of recruiting classes were from the state of California."

Topui attends Mater Dei High School, a program that all USC fans know. As the Trojans try to re-establish the pipeline from Mater Dei to USC, landing Topui after de-committing from Oregon could give the Trojans serious momentum.

Other 2026 recruits that attend Mater Dei include five-star wide receiver Chris Henry Jr. (Ohio State Buckeyes commit), five-star tight end Mark Bowman, and five-star offensive lineman (Oregon Ducks commit).

Nov 16, 2024; Los Angeles, California, USA; Southern California Trojans head coach Lincoln Riley watches game action against the Nebraska Cornhuskers during the second half at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. / Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images

Bowden talked about the high quality of California's high school football, especially when it comes to the class of 2026.

"I think the '26 class is the best class that California has had in two decades," Bowden said to reporters. "If you look through it, and you really study what those classes look like, at least the top, probably 30, 40 players in the state. This is the best class in two decades, and I think there's plenty of players up front."

The best news for Trojans fans would have been Topui flipping from Oregon to USC. While it has not yet happened, Bowden and Riley seem to be in the driver's seat for the elite defensive lineman's recruitment.

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