Thrust into the fire last November by Lincoln Riley, Jayden Maiava didn’t flinch. He stepped up as USC’s starting quarterback and delivered. The role was immense—he entered a locker room already firmly behind Miller Moss, a veteran with three years’ experience. Maiava faced a short fuse, with only a few games to prove himself a game-changer. Even wide receiver Ja’Kobi Lane acknowledged the difficulty: “That’s a hard thing for anyone to do.” But a strong QB alone can’t win it all. Riley understood this and locked down his future with a five-star offensive tackle.
Well, this OT hailing from Long Beach, California, picked Lincoln Riley’s program over Florida, Georgia, Miami, and Texas. Best part? At 6’7″ and 325 pounds, he is a key addition to USC’s offensive line. Well, this No. 3 OT and 17th-ranked prospect is none other than Kennyi Pepe, whose commitment is turning heads around the CFB. Now, his addition is a key aspect of Trojan’s future investment. But how? Well, Chris Trevino laid it out on 247Sports and said, “When we just look at the context of USC over the last several seasons, one of the areas they’ve been struggling with is offensive line and offensive line recruiting. You know, it’s been close to a decade since they’ve landed a blue-chip offensive tackle, like a pure left tackle prospect.”
Now, what makes it more special is Kennyi Pepe is USC’s first blue-chip prospect since 2017. “The last five-star offensive lineman that they signed was in the 2017 class—that was Austin Jackson out of Arizona, who ended up being a first-round pick. But they have been—we call it, ‘the drought,’ that’s what we’ve been referring to it as on the Peristyle—the drought of the left tackle. Wanting to get that blue-chip guy, that guy that can be your stalwart on the blind side. Block—those are the teams, those are the guys that NFL teams want,” Trevino said. Well, that’s exactly what NFL teams look for, and that’s exactly why the Commanders took Josh Cornerly Jr. with the 29th overall pick in the first round this year.
Kennyi Pepe might face this in the future. Pepe spent the last three seasons at IMG Academy, becoming their starting left tackle last fall. A dominant offensive lineman, he’s a skilled pass blocker with impressive physical traits, making him an intriguing prospect. He joins four-star offensive guard Esun Tafa (No. 224 overall) and three-star linemen Vlad Dyakonov and John Fifita as the Trojans’ top incoming offensive line recruit.
Well, the best part is, as per Trevino, Pepe can make an immediate impact on the Trojans’ field. “And he’s a guy who can play right away. You know, playing at IMG, playing in those practices against some of the best defenders in the country, right there on his own team—he’s going to be as battle-tested as they come across the country,” Trevion said. But here’s the catch. Kenny Pepe’s future heavily depends on Elijah Paige’s future move. “Not saying he’s going to start. Elijah Paige, you know, maybe he’s off to the NFL after the season. But if he comes back, Pepe is someone who can start on the right side, get some reps there, and be the heir apparent to left tackle.”
But for now, Lincoln Riley stands at the crossroads of his recruitment dynamics. On one side, he is smacking players; on the other side, other Big 10 teams are eyeing his favorite prospects.
Big blow for Lincoln Riley’s $889k weapon
USC’s recruiting momentum, despite a top-ranked 2026 class boasting 27 blue-chip commits, has hit a snag in the pursuit of five-star quarterback Ryder Lyons. While the Trojans had appeared poised to secure the projected $889k Folsom, California, standout—a player who could elevate their already impressive class to legendary status—Oregon has unexpectedly surged into the lead.
And On3’s Steve Wiltfong reports the Ducks are now the frontrunner, turning a seemingly certain USC victory into a competitive battle. “My On3 Recruiting Prediction Machine expert pick had been on USC since the fall for Lyons, when it looked like he was close to committing to the Trojans. Now, the intel is starting to favor Oregon. BYU looks to be second in the battle for Lyons currently. While Lyons could certainly end up with BYU, and that will be something to monitor, I’m going to move my predictions for Lyons to the Ducks,” Wiltfong said.
Look, Ryder Lyons’s move to Oregon makes sense, as the team doesn’t have a single QB commit, and after losing Jared Curtis to Georgia, Dan Lanning might not take any risk. But let’s not forget that his transition to the Ducks might not be fruitful for the team. Despite being a member of the 2026 class, Lyons plans on taking the LSD mission after high school, and that will keep him away from the field till 2027. And looking at Oregon’s thin 2026 class of 7 commits, they need to fill up their roster.
Well, their OC, Will Stein, is one of the major reasons behind Oregon’s top status in Ryder Lyons’ recruitment. “Coach Stein, Coach Lanning, how they’re doing as a program, they’re just building and building,” Lyons said. “I and Coach Stein have a great relationship, probably the best out of any other coaches. They’ve been recruiting me the hardest, probably, the whole time … how they’re recruiting. A lot of people like to say it’s all Phil Knight money, but they don’t really understand how good they recruit … Their culture is probably one of the best I’ve seen. How they play as a team, how they interact with each other.” So, NIL might also be another factor behind this inclination.
However, the Oregon Ducks are not the only ones in the mix; even the BYU Cougars are rooting high for his commitment. “Also very familiar, my family went there, my sisters went there, obviously a big part of my faith,” Lyons said about the Cougars. “Coach (Aaron) Roderick and Coach (Kalani) Sitake are amazing people to talk to, and I have great relationships with them. Great coaches, BYU had a huge year, 11 wins. A very good success rate with quarterbacks.” And let’s not forget that Ole Miss, Ohio State, and Michigan are also in the mix. Let’s wait and see if Lincoln Riley could add another jewel to this 2026 recruiting crown or not!
The post Lincoln Riley’s Major Move to Secure Jayden Maiava’s Future Clarified as HC Receives Upsetting $889k News appeared first on EssentiallySports.