USC Trojans' Lincoln Riley Details Recruiting Surge: NIL, New Staff, Football Facility

The USC Trojans landed a big commitment on Tuesday in Mater Dei (Calif.) four-star defensive lineman Tomuhini Topui.

Topui initially committed to Oregon in October, but the Trojans began picking up momentum for the highly sought-after prospect when general manager Chad Bowden arrived in late January and made him a top priority. Defensive line coach Eric Henderson has been Topui’s primary recruiter during the process. Henderson is great at building relationship with recruits and has landed his second big commitment on the defensive line in the last month. Richardson (Texas) four-star Jaimeon Winfield, a top 100 recruit committed of March 14.

Nov 2, 2024; Seattle, Washington, USA; USC Trojans head coach Lincoln Riley stands on the sideline during the fourth quarter against the Washington Huskies at Alaska Airlines Field at Husky Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Joe Nicholson-Imagn Images | Joe Nicholson-Imagn Images

The local prospect visited USC for Junior Day in early February. Topui was on campus again in early March and then a third time for the Trojans first day of spring ball last week. He is the No. 154 overall prospect and No. 15 defensive lineman according to the On3 Industry Rankings.

Topui is USC’s 18th commitment in their No. 1 ranked recruiting class for the 2026 cycle. The Trojans intend to sign the most high school kids in school history and they are well on the way to making that happen. USC coach Lincoln Riley talked about the Trojans recruiting surge.

“Staff is different, got some different guys on the field, obviously personnel departments changed a lot and our group there is doing a great job,” Riley said. “That massive structure behind you right there is actually kind of real now. I just think there’s a lot of momentum in every area, kind of like I’ve been saying and you’re seeing the results of that."

“And I think too we got a ‘26 class that’s really a good class across the country but especially in Southern California, especially in LA," Riley said. "It’s a tremendous class and it’s a lot of guys that not only are their individual futures important to them, like doing it here in LA, doing it at USC, understanding that opportunity like these guys. They see that and they see it collectively and it’s a pretty cool thing to watch unfold.”

The structure Riley is referring to is the Bloom Football Performance Center, the building is scheduled to open in summer of 2026. The Trojans new $200 million dollar facility will position themselves to compete with any complex in the country when it comes to Name, Image, Likeness (NIL) dollars.

The energy around the program has changed dramatically with Bowden leading the recruiting efforts. It’s infectious and recruits are buying into what is being built in Los Angeles.

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While the Trojans certainly don’t limit themselves in recruiting, Bowden, Riley and the USC staff have put a premium on Southern California prospects. The state is hotbed for recruiting, and the Trojans want to keep top prospects from leaving their backyard.

Of their 18 commitments, 12 are from Southern California, including Rancho Cucamonga four-star RJ Sermons, Loyola four-star Brandon Lockhart, Santa Margarita four-star Simote Katoanga and Trent Mosley, Sierra Canyon three-stars Madden Riordan and Ja’Myron Baker, St. John Bosco three-star Joshua Holland, Fremont three-star Andrew Williams, St. Plus X three-star Malik Brooks, St. Francis three-star John Fifita and Cathedral Catholic three-star Chase Deniz.

Lockhart and Riordan are longtime USC commits, they both announced their pledges in the fall of 2023, their sophomore seasons. The local defensive backs grew up Trojan fans and have been active in recruiting other Southern California prospects to join them in Los Angeles and help restore USC football to its heyday.

Katoanga announced his commitment in February and has also been pushing for other top prospects to join in what has the potential to be a program-altering recruiting class for USC.

“Let’s change the narrative and build something special,” Katoanga said. “Let’s be the historical class that people will talk about for years to come that brought back a national championship to USC and LA.”

The Trojans continue to target several more blue-chip recruits in Southern California. Oaks Christian four-star running back Deshonne Redeaux will announce his commitment on Saturday. USC is also pursuing his teammate, four-star cornerback Davon Benjamin.

Mount Miguel five-star cornerback Brandon Arrington is a high priority target. The two-sport star was on campus last week for the Trojans first day of spring practice. Orange Lutheran four-star interior offensive lineman Samuel Utu has been a frequent visitor on campus, including a recent trip on March 27. Four-star linebacker Talanoa Ili played at Orange Lutheran for three seasons before transferring to Kahuku (Hawaii) last month. He has visited USC twice this year.

Topui is the Trojans first commitment from Mater Dei since 2022 and USC has their eyes set on other highly touted recruits from the national powerhouse. Five-star Mark Bowman was blown away by his most recent visit with the Trojans in March. Bowman has developed a strong relationship with tight ends/inside receivers coach Chad Savage. He has an official visit scheduled in June.

The Trojans have picked up some momentum for four-star offensive tackle and Oregon commit Kodi Greene after his visit to campus this past weekend. Greene has locked in an official visit in June. Four-star linebacker Shaun Scott visited USC twice in March and could return again before the end of spring practice. Four-star receiver Kayden Dixon-Wyatt visited for Junior Day and has an official visit scheduled in June.

USC's staff continues to make a strong push for Mission Viejo (Calif.) four-star receiver and Georgia commit Vance Spafford.

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