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Homecoming: USC lands 2026 commitment from elite OL, California native

Andrew Olson

By Andrew Olson

Published:

Keenyi Pepe is coming home.

Pepe is originally from Long Beach, California. He has played 3 seasons of high school football, however, in Florida. On Thursday, he announced that he will be returning to Southern California to play college football, committing to Lincoln Riley’s USC program.

Out of the IMG Academy in Bradenton, Florida, Pepe measures 6-8 and 330 pounds. On the 247Sports Composite, Pepe is rated 4-stars, the No. 6 offensive tackle, No. 9 player in the state of Florida and No. 68 prospect overall in the Class of 2026.

As a talented lineman playing for a prominent program, Pepe drew interest from coast to coast. During his recruitment, Pepe has collected scholarship offers from 35 programs, including Alabama, Auburn, Michigan, Mizzou, Nebraska, Oklahoma, Ohio State, Ole Miss, Oregon, Tennessee, UCLA, Texas A&M and Washington.

For Thursday’s commitment, it came down to USC, Miami, Florida, Georgia and Texas. Pepe decided to come back home.

With Pepe in the class, USC now has 25 verbal commitments in its 2026 recruiting class, which is ranked No. 1 nationally on the Composite. Fans can get a preview of what Pepe brings to the program next year watching his highlights in the Hudl video below:

Andrew Olson

A former Florida beat reporter, Andrew writes for the Saturday Tradition News Desk.