USC Trojans 5-Star Recruit Keenyi Pepe Compared To NFL Super Bowl Champion

The USC Trojans have reeled in some of the best players in the country in the 2026 recruiting cycle. To be exact, the Trojans have brought in two five-star prospects and seven recruits inside the top 100 of 247Sports' rankings.

It's hard to make a true comparison of a high school prospect to an NFL player, but a couple of USC's commits have warranted the praise.

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. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images | Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images

Grant Hughes of 247Sports broke down a comparison of some of the top recruits in the 2026 cycle, which included five-star offensive tackle Keenyi Pepe and five-star tight end Mark Bowman.

Pepe, the No. 2 offensive tackle and No. 6 player in the country according to 247Sports rankings, was given one of the most complimentary comparisons throughout the whole list, being compared to Jordan Mailata, offensive tackle for the Philadelphia Eagles.

"Keenyi Pepe took over as the starting left tackle at Bradenton (Fla.) IMG Academy this season and earned MaxPreps Junior All-America honors in his first season as a full-time starter. At 6-foot-7, 320 pounds, the USC commit has earned comparisons to the Philadelphia Eagles offensive tackle, a former NFL All-Pro," Hughes said.

One of the most highly-touted tight end prospects in recent memory, Bowman was also given a comparison to a current NFL player in New York Jets' tight end Mason Taylor

"Mark Bowman earned MaxPreps All-America second-team as a junior this past season...reclassified from the 2027 class to 2026 and has a chance to finish as the highest-rated tight end to come out of California in at least the last decade. He's drawn comparisons to Taylor, the former LSU star who was the third tight end taken in the 2025 NFL Draft," Hughes said.

It's not hard to see why both players have earned the comparisons to NFL players, Both Bowman and Pepe are among the elite players in the 2026 recruiting cycle and are on the fast track to the NFL if they continue on their development path.

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Dec 27, 2024; Las Vegas, NV, USA; Southern California Trojans head coach Lincoln Riley reacts against the Texas A&M Aggies in the second half at Allegiant Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

The Trojans' 2026 recruiting class is filled with players who have the potential to make it to the next level on top of Pepe and Bowman.

Any quarterback that starts under USC coach Lincoln Riley is bound to have NFL scouts' eyes on him due to the success of Riley's former quarterbacks in the NFL, and four-star quarterback commit Jonas Williams is next in line. If Williams ends up under center for Riley and the Trojans, the odds are in his favor for finding a suitable home in the NFL such as Baker Mayfield, Kyler Murray, Jalen Hurts, and Caleb Williams.

Another recruit that USC coaches have extremely high hopes for that could potentially make it to the NFL is the recently-committed four-star EDGE Luke Wafle.

It's way too early to be calling high school seniors potential NFL picks, but with how quickly true freshmen are beginning to get onto the field and produce, it's not impossile to envision some of the top recruits lining it up on Sundays.

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