USC Trojans Tease Mater Dei High School Connection In New Recruiting Hype Video

The USC Trojans are recruiting at an elite level under coach Lincoln Riley and general manager Chad Bowden, placing an emphasis on Southern California and Mater Dei High School. Can USC land four-star recruit Tomuhini Topui, a recent Oregon Ducks de-commit?

Nov 2, 2024; Seattle, Washington, USA; USC Trojans head coach Lincoln Riley watches pregame warmups against the Washington Huskies at Alaska Airlines Field at Husky Stadium. / Joe Nicholson-Imagn Images

On the same day that four-star defensive lineman and Mater Dei High School standout Tomuhini Topui de-committed from the Oregon Ducks and was spotted at a USC Trojans spring practice, the USC video team released a new hype video with a not-so-subtle nod to Mater Dei.

The short video includes clips of former Trojans who played their high school football in Southern California, including quarterback Matt Leinart, quarterback Mark Sanchez, linebacker Clay Matthews, and wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown. Both Leinart and St. Brown attended Mater Dei, and the USC video team even showed an overhead shot of the Monarch's home field.

With Topui no longer committed to the Ducks and coach Dan Lanning, the Trojans are heavy favorites to land the four-star recruit, and they are putting the full-court press on the Mater Dei product. The timing of Topui's visit to USC's practice with his de-commitment from Oregon not likely a coincidence. Upon the arrival of general manager Chad Bowden, the Trojans have clearly and successfully placed an emphasis on recruiting the state of California.

Nov 30, 2024; Los Angeles, California, USA; Southern California Trojans head coach Lincoln Riley watches game action against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish during the first half at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. / Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images

The region of Southern California and schools like Mater Dei appear to be especially crucial for Bowden and USC coach Lincoln Riley. As a junior on Mater Dei's defensive line, Topui won the MVP of the Trinity League, and he is one of the prospects in the country, let alone on the West Coast.

According to 247Sports' composite rankings, Topui is the No. 100 overall recruit in the nation, the No. 13 defensive lineman, and the No. 15 recruit in California.

If USC is able to land Topui, the Trojans would hold commitments from four of 247Sports' top-20 defensive line recruiting prospects in 2026: four-star Simote Katoanga, four-star Jaimeon Winfield, Topui, and four-star Braeden Jones. That haul would easily contend for one of the best defensive line classes in the country should USC sign all four.

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The Trojans are one of the hottest teams in the country on the recruiting trail, and Bowden's hiring has seemingly played a role.

“USC has everything. The resources here are different than anywhere else in the country. There’s more resources to win here. This is the place to be. There’s not one thing that this place doesn’t have," Bowden told reporters upon his arrival.

No pLAce like home✌️ pic.twitter.com/d1RXJSsSmC

— USC Football ✌️ (@uscfb) March 25, 2025

Since his introductory press conference, he has called USC "the place to be." That slogan was used in the Trojans' latest hype video, and it has served as a catchphrase for the 2026 recruiting class. In the video, the narrator proclaims, "The best in California play for USC."

"I think the '26 class is the best class that California has had in two decades," Bowden said. "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."

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