USC spent much of last year playing catch-up with Talanoa Ili, but by the time the Trojans were done, they had landed one of the most coveted linebackers in the class.
The four-star prospect, the reigning MaxPreps Hawaii Player of the Year, was widely viewed as an Oregon lean at the start of the cycle. USC changed that trajectory in a hurry.
The arrival of general manager Chad Bowden in January 2025 helped, and a Junior Day visit to campus early the next month gave the Trojans a real opening. A more personal trip to USC in March, one that included a stop at the Coliseum, kept the momentum building for the No. 80 overall prospect and No. 6 linebacker according to ESPN.
USC’s push was relentless and specific. Ili, who began his high school career at Orange Lutheran in the Trinity League before transferring to Kahuku for his senior season, was treated like a local priority.
Defensive ends coach Shaun Nua and former linebackers coach Rob Ryan each visited him twice in Hawaii last May, and the Trojans brought him in for an official visit the following month. Director of high school recruiting relations Aaron Amaama, known as Coach Dogg, was also a major part of the effort.
In the end, USC beat out Oregon and UCLA for his commitment last June.
Now the question shifts from recruiting to production.
USC’s linebacker room was uneven a season ago, though the Trojans do bring back starters Desman Stephens and Jadyn Walker, along with several important reserves. They also added Washington transfer Deven Bryant. That makes fall camp and the opening stretch of the season worth watching closely, especially with Ili in the mix.
The big question is whether he can carve out a role right away as a true freshman.
There’s already been plenty of buzz about Ili becoming the next Trojan to wear No. 55, the number that has carried real weight in program history. Junior Seau started that tradition in the 1980s.
Willie McGinest followed in the early 1990s. Chris Claiborne added to the legacy by winning the Butkus Award in 1998, while Keith Rivers joined Seau and McGinest as a top-10 NFL Draft pick.
Lamar Dawson was the last to wear the jersey in 2015.
At 6-foot-3 and 225 pounds, Ili has the kind of frame USC likes at linebacker, and he brings enough athleticism to line up in different spots. New linebackers coach Mike Ekeler came away impressed after spring practice.
“He can move around a lot. He is extremely, extremely talented and super instinctive. There's nothing I don't like about that guy,” Ekeler said in April.
Whether that turns into immediate playing time is the next storyline to watch. For USC, the recruiting win is already in the books. The real test starts now.
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