Last December, USC signed the No. 1 recruiting class in college football. Now, those signees are true freshmen looking to immediately make an impact for the Trojans.
So which of them could contribute right away? In a recent story, Billy Tucker of ESPN listed the 51 true freshmen most poised to make an impact this college football season. Included on the list was USC offensive lineman Keenyi Pepe.
“Pepe is USC's best offensive tackle recruit since ESPN introduced the rankings in 2006 and the highest-graded offensive tackle to reach campus since Chuma Edoga in 2015,” Tucker wrote. “Pepe has excellent size at 6-7, 330 pounds, light feet and savvy technique for being 19 years old. Those are the building blocks for a long-term cornerstone left tackle. USC threw him into the fire in spring ball, getting Pepe reps at both tackle positions, and he could push for early playing time as a swing tackle.”
With USC’s entire starting offensive line from last season returning, it will be difficult for a true freshman to earn playing time at the position in 2026. However, a starting spot did recently open up following the unfortunate season-ending injury to center Kilian O’Connor. It will be interesting to see what role Pepe plays for the Trojans this fall.
Contact/Follow @TrojansWire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of USC Trojans news, notes and opinion.
This article originally appeared on Trojans Wire: ESPN lists USC’s Keenyi Pepe as freshman poised for immediate impact