Four-star defensive tackle Tomuhini Topui visited USC on the first day of spring practice Tuesday shortly after he announced his decommitment from Oregon. The Rivals250 prospect, who currently ranks No. 127 overall and 18th in the state, had been committed to the Ducks since October but the Trojans have been making a strong push as of late.
Topui has not detailed why he backed off his pledge to USC's Big Ten foe, but he has made several visits to see the Trojans over the last year.
The 6-foot-3, 290-pound defensive lineman was one of the surprise visitors at the team's junior day in early February when he made the trek to campus with his mother to hear a pitch from the staff, which iincludes some new faces this year.
"[The message was] really just that they're still going to come after me even though I'm committed. They showed a lot of love to me and my mom," he told TrojanSports.com earlier this month at the Rivals Camp stop in LA. "My mom loved it. My mom loves USC. Growing up that was my dream school, just having it being in my back yard, so she loved it, she loved the whole experience of it."
Topui has built a strong connection with Trojans defensive line coach Eric Henderson, who sent out a post on social media seemingly teasing some news Tuesday, and defensive ends coach Shaun Nua.
Henderson's work in the NFL has appealed to Topui throughout the process and is something he holds in high regard.
"It means a lot because that's the end goal I want to be at, so seeing his coaching experience at the next level, he knows what the blueprint is for me to get up there," Topui said.
The Trojans have worked to reignite local recruiting in the current cycle and hold commitments from nine in-state recruits in the 2026 class. Eight of those prospects call Southern California home.
Under new general manager Chad Bowden, local recruiting will continue to be a big part of the plan and Mater Dei figures to be one of the schools USC targets frequently. The Trojans have not signed a high school recruit from the team since the 2022 cycle, so an eventual commitment from Topui would certainly signal an impressive move to rebuild the pipeline at the SoCal powerhouse program.
Topui was one of several visitors on the first day of spring practice for the Trojans with five-star athlete Brandon Arrington also being among that group.
