USC Trojans Ahead Of Oregon Ducks, Texas Longhorns For Elite Recruit Talanoa Ili

The USC Trojans hosted their annual Junior Day back on Feb. 1, providing recruits the first opportunity to interact with new general manager Chad Bowden, who was hired away from Notre Dame in late January.

Since then, the Trojans have taken off in recruiting. The vibe around the program has changed dramatically and recruits have taken notice, including Kahuku (Hawaii) four-star linebacker Talanoa Ili.

Sep 2, 2023; Los Angeles, California, USA; Southern California Trojans head coach Lincoln Riley (leff) and wide receivers coach Dennis Simmons react against the Nevada Wolf Pack in the second half at United Airlines Field at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

“Everything changed after Chad Bowden became GM and really shifted the narrative to keeping the California kids home,” Ili told On3. “When that narrative was created, the way they recruited me shifted and after my first visit this year, I saw USC in a different way.

“Since then, things have been going well. Things have changed. The relationships are stronger, things have really grown between USC and me and I like the new vision a lot. Keeping the California kids home shows me a lot.”

Ili is the No. 32 overall prospect, No. 3 linebacker and No. 1 player in Hawaii according to the 247Sports Rankings. USC already have one commit at from the No. 1 ranked linebacker, Gainesville (Ga.) five-star Xavier Griffin.

Ili is playing his senior season on the islands, but the 6-foot-4, 220-pound linebacker is from Southern California, having starred at Orange Lutheran (Calif.) the past three seasons, which is an hour away from USC's campus.

The Trojans have been criticized during the Lincoln Riley era, and even before that for their inability to keep top Southern California prospects from leaving the state.

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However, with Bowden now leading the recruiting efforts, that criticism is a thing of the past. USC have been all-in on their pursuit of blue-chip recruits in their backyard and although he is now in a different time zone, that still includes Ili.

Trojans defensive ends coach Shaun Nua and linebackers coach Rob Ryan spent the weekend in Hawaii visiting Ili. The highly sought-after recruit was on campus back in March and his entire family visited USC for a spring practice on April 19.

“I am being patient with everything and taking it all in, but I am leaning towards USC,” Ili told On3. “I am going to do my due diligence, and I haven’t made a decision, but USC is my leader. The Trojan Way looks nice, so it is something I am thinking about, but I still have a lot of other schools I am considering.”

Of the 27 commitments from the Trojans No. 1 ranked recruiting class, 15 are from California, and IMG Academy (Fla.) five-star offensive tackle Keenyi Pepe is from Southern California.

Several commits are pushing to bring Ili back home to Southern California, including Santa Margarita (Calif.) four-star EDGE Simote Katoanga and Mater Dei (Calif.) four-star defensive lineman Tomuhini Topui. USC has a long and proud tradition of great Polynesian players and the 2026 class has the next generation of them.

Ili will take his official visit with USC on June 13. He also has official visits scheduled with Oklahoma, Texas, Oregon and Notre Dame.

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