BREAKING: Elite Local Edge Simote Katoanga Commits to USC
USC is assembling a top-notch 2026 recruiting class and just days after flipping Frankfort Heights (Ill.) Lincoln-Way East four-star quarterback Jonas Williams from Oregon, the Trojans added another huge commitment from elite local Edge Simote Katoanga.
On Saturday we logged a pick in favor of USC landing a commitment from the Santa Margarita Catholic four-star EDGE
The 6-foot-5, 240-pounder last visited USC on February 1 and has a USC official visit set for June 6. He also has
“One of the biggest highlights of my visit was my meetings with the coaches,” Katoanga told On3’s Chad Simmons after his latest visit. “I spoke with coach D’Anton Lynn, coach Shaun Nua, coach Eric Henderson and coach Lincoln Riley. They make me feel needed and like a priority. I love what they are building and can’t wait to see what their future looks like.
“It’s a great environment, culture, and staff. I think what excites me the most about the opportunity to play at USC is the chance to bring USC back to a National Title and the way I can be versatile on the whole defensive line!”
Class of 2026 and the local vibe
Riley has consistently said he’d ideally like to bring in more Southern California guys, but not solely because they are local and ranked highly.
“We always wanna make it priority No. 1 to recruit Southern California,” Riley said. “But we gotta do a great job evaluating the guys and getting the guys that fit SC. I do think in the 2026 class, there’s a number of guys right now that really fit. And I think too, we’re seeing results now that our new defensive staff’s had some time to start building relationships with these guys locally in the ‘26 class. I think that’s been very positive as well.
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“And I do think it’s just gonna be a really good year in the state.”
While it’s true USC hasn’t ideally signed as many top prospects from California in recent years, southern California in particular, it’s not the end result of Lincoln Riley and staff neglecting them. The truth is, they have pursued most of the top California talent. When they didn’t pursue a kid, they had their needs met at position of need by prospects they liked better from other states.
Almost all of the top targets from California USC didn’t sign since Riley’s arrival, simply believed USC wasn’t the best option for them. Not hard to understand considering how the program was viewed, especially in southern California.
Riley did overhaul nearly his entire defensive staff after the 2023 season. While the uptick with recruiting was fairly significant for the 2025 cycle, much of the momentum faded with mediocre results on the field.
USC’s 2026 recruiting class ranked No. 2
As of February 23, USC owns the No. 2 2026 recruiting class ranking per the On3 Industry Rankings.
The 10 committed players for the Trojans are Simote Katonaga, Jonas Williams, Xavier Griffin, RJ Sermons, Brandon Lockhart, Braeden Jones, Madden Riordan, Joshua Holland, Shahn Alston, Andrew Williams and Ja’Myron “Tron” Baker.
While this could change tomorrow, next week or next month, as of now we believe the most likely 2026 USC targets to commit next are Vlad Dyakonov, Deshonne Redeaux, Khary Wilder, Sam Utu, Davon Benjamin and Simote Kataonga. WeAreSC will update this list each month as appropriate.
