Lincoln Riley continues to work on righting the ship at USC, landing the Trojans another major football recruit for the class of 2026. After a brief deliberation period, USC received a commitment from four-star edge rusher Simote Katoanga, On3 Sports reported.
Katoanga, a consensus top-100 recruit, is the sixth-best defensive lineman of the class, according to 247 Sports. He became the third-highest-rated recruit of Riley’s growing 2026 class, behind Xavier Griffin and RJ Sermons. The 6-foot-5, 240-pound phenom just wrapped up his junior season at Santa Margarita Catholic High School, roughly an hour away from USC’s campus in Los Angeles.
Katoanga committed to the Trojans over countless other Power Five offers. He took visits to Notre Dame and Clemson before deciding to remain home and commit to USC. He also received Big 10 offers from Michigan State, Oregon, Washington and Wisconsin.
The commitment was Riley’s latest move in a clear effort to improve the Trojans’ defense over the offseason. Shortly after the end of 2o24, Riley added longtime renowned NFL assistant Rob Ryan to his defensive staff. He also had a noticeable defensive focus in the 2025 college football transfer portal, where USC received several notable commitments.
USC football rebuilding after disappointing 2024 season
As USC continues to work through the kinks of the early Lincoln Riley era, the Trojans have regressed in each of his three seasons in Los Angeles. Riley’s struggles resulted in a disastrous 7-6 campaign in 2024, including just 4-5 in the Big 10.
USC struggled with multiple changes in 2024, including the loss of former Heisman Trophy winner Caleb Williams and their transition from the Pac-12 to the Big 10. Neither went smoothly, as Riley ended the year by benching Williams’ successor, Miller Moss, for former Mountain West Freshman of the Year Jayden Maiava.
The 2024 season will mark another year of change, repeating an undesirable cycle. Although Maiava started the final four games of 2024, USC will virtually enter another season with its third different starting quarterback in as many years.
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