A war is in progress in this year’s recruiting season. The prize in question is a star player who has a slew of programs battling it out to have him on board. One of these schools is Oregon, which is locked in a fierce fight with a B1G rival on the other side of the country. It’s an all-stakes fight because a blue-chip recruit means business. This means that Dan Lanning and Co. have to give their all to rope this star talent into their roster. They have beef with this particular program, which makes this tussle a heated one.
The Ducks are setting their eyes on 4-star linebacker Talanoa Ili from Kahuku, Hawaii. 247Sports ranks him as the No. 3 linebacker in the 2026 class. Oregon is predicted to be his final destination, with On3 predicting a 90.2% probability. Ili is a giant at 6’3” and 200 pounds. Naturally, there are no debates when it comes to having him on board. In the 2024-25, Ili made 7.1 tackles per game. His stats are why he seems to be a hot pick for these programs. However, tightening their belts in the race are the USC Trojans which is a cause of concern for Dan Lanning.
The Trojans are eager to flip Ili. In a March 18th video, USCJ LOST IN THA SAUCE PODCAST highlights the role of Coach Dogg, aka Aaron Amaama, a crucial member of the USC recruiting staff, being instrumental in getting him over. Not only that, he also notes how the Trojans have improved other assets apart from the recruiting staff. “We’re establishing ourselves. We’ve been reestablishing ourselves since Eric Henderson and those guys got here. But we got other things…” USC J said earnestly. He lists these additions that make the program extremely attractive. “…[N]ew facilities to add, of course. Now, the NIL is through the roof.”
“We’re competing with the best of the best. In fact, some of our offers have been as good as it gets. It’s not too many people that are willing to beat us right now from [the] NIL front.” About USC’s hopes of getting Ili to commit, USC J says the program has a “great chance.” To add to Lanning’s worries, Ili has already been on visits to USC multiple times, once right before he drops in at Oregon. “USC made an impression on me, and I would say they’ve made their way up my list. This visit did help them. I enjoyed being here and hearing what they had to say,” he told On3.
USC is putting up a tough fight for Dan Lanning to win Ili
The way USC has been going at the recruiting room has toppled Oregon from its No.1 rank. So now, it’s A pair of the country’s top programs locking in to get the prime talents into their roster. Lanning has already lost 4-star quarterback Jonas Williams to USC, thanks to its new aggressive approach at the recruiting class. USC J points out that the top two recruiters in the country are from USC too: Eric Henderson and Doug Belk. The two are going neck-and-neck for the title of National Recruiter of the Year. Their efforts are showing, too, because USC has 11 commits already.
Sports Illustrated mentions that the fight is going to be tough for Oregon to reel Ili. USC seems to have zeroed in on California and is targeting most blue chips from the state. Ili will be the third highest-rated commit in the Ducks’ history, should he decide to land here. But he has visited Oregon before as well and says that these programs have an “edge” on his list. He will be making his commitment decision this fall, so Lanning has about 6-7 months to go the extra mile and hopefully have Ili on its budding list of commits.
On3 puts the probability of this crucial talent going to USC at a meager 4.6%. But who knows? If one player can be flipped, who’s to say another can’t? Dan Lanning has to keep an eye out for USC’s swipes at Ili, who brings value with him to the team he will join. The Trojans are going all out on Ili; how far is Lanning willing to go to secure Talanoa Ili for good at Oregon?
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