Two USC football commits have been named to the 2025 ALL-USA Football Team Watchlist. Offensive lineman Keenyi Pepe and Simote Katoanga received the honor after an extensive evaluation process. Logan Newman of USA TODAY High School Sports offered analysis on why these two future Trojans made the cut:
Newman said this about Keenyi Pepe, a senior at IMG Academy in Bradenton, Fla.:
“A 6-foot-7, 320-pound offensive tackle, Keenyi Pepe has manned the IMG Academy’s front line, contributing to a team that has averaged 170 rushing yards over the first six games of the season. He’s the No. 2 OT on 247Sports’ ranking.”
Newman offered this insight on Simote Katoanga, a senior at Santa Margarita High School in California:
“A new addition to the midyear list, Simote Katoanga has recorded 14 tackles, five tackles for loss and 1.5 sacks for a Santa Margarita team that is among the best in the country. His best game of the season was against No. 4 Centennial (Corona, Calif.), in which he had four tackles, two TFLs and 1.5 sacks.”
Earlier this year, Trojans Wire’s Adam Bradford reacted to Pepe’s USC commitment decision:
“The Trojans landed their first five-star offensive lineman in nearly a decade. Thursday morning, USC received a commitment from five-star offensive lineman Keenyi Pepe. A product of IMG Academy in Bradenton, Florida, 247Sports Composite ranks Pepe as the No. 9 overall player and the No. 3 offensive tackle in the class of 2026.”
Bradford also covered USC’s pull of Katoanga earlier this year:
“Katoanga is a defensive lineman, a central position of need for a program which needs depth up front. USC had good defensive linemen in 2024, but they got injured, and the depth pieces weren’t enough to contain the damage in the second half of the season. USC needs to build a deep rotation of quality defensive linemen, and this fits the bill.”
This article originally appeared on Trojans Wire: Two USC football commits make 2025 All-USA Football Team Watchlist
Reporting by Matt Zemek / Trojans Wire
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
