Kobe Pepe Enters the Transfer Portal
Another USC Trojan has entered the transfer portal as defensive lineman Kobe Pepe appeared Wednesday evening.
The 6-foot-2, 320-pound was a three-star prospect in the 2020 class and signed with the Trojans out of Bellflower (Calif.) St. John Bosco.
Pepe played in two games as a true freshman in 2020, against Utah and Washington State. He finished that season with three tackles, all coming against the Cougars. From there, injuries helped keep him off the field over the next two seasons.
He missed the entire 2021 season after undergoing shoulder surgery. Pepe was slowed by that recovery and never truly made an impact this season under head coach Lincoln Riley and the new USC staff. He got time in one game for a handful of snaps but did not record any statistics.
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Pepe is the seventh player from USC to enter the transfer portal during this window that opened Monday and will run through Jan. 18. Rush ends Julien Simon and Tayler Katoa, linebacker Ralen Goforth and safety Xavion Alford all went in this week. Defensive back Jayden Williams and wide receiver Jake Smith weren’t on the USC roster this past fall, but they’re listed as coming out of USC in the transfer portal.
Pepe would have provided depth along the defensive line next season. That is a position USC needs to address via the transfer portal this offseason. The Trojans got tremendous production from defensive end Tuli Tuipulotu, but he’ll have the option to leave early for the NFL Draft. Nose tackle Stanley Ta’ufo’ou has two years of eligibility remaining. But fellow tackle Brandon Pili exhausted his college eligibility this year.
Pepe was part of a very small, 12-member recruiting class for USC in 2020. He’s already the third player to at least begin the transfer process. Kicker Parker Lewis moved on to Ohio State. Offensive tackle Casey Collier is now at Oklahoma State.
