College Football Insider Names Big Ten Program as ‘Powerful’ as any in NIL Era originally appeared on Athlon Sports.
As NIL continues to unfold across the land of College Sports, one insider believes that USC can be as “Powerful” as any team in the NIL Era.
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On Monday, on3’s Wiltfong Whiparound show, Steve Wiltfong said no team in college football is more equipped to handle recruiting in the NIL Era than USC.
Right now, the Trojans are ranked number one in the country for the 2026 recruiting class, and they haven’t shown any signs of slowing down after signing tight end Mark Bowman, out of Mater Dei High School in Santa Ana.
Southern California Trojans head coach Lincoln RileyGary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images
“There’s a lot of excitement around this program,” Wiltfong said. “And in the NIL era, USC is as powerful as any program in the country right now.”
Bowman is considered the number one tight end recruit in the country and still has to suit up one more season at Mater Dei before he arrives on campus for the Trojans, but he is already being compared to former Georgia and current Raiders tight end Brock Powers.
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While the exact numbers remain unknown, Scott Schrader of WeAreSC.com wrote that Bowman is expected to make $8-10 million in NIL within three years of playing.
With the addition of Bowman, USC now has two five-star recruits in this recruiting class. The other five-star recruit is offensive tackle Keenyi Pepe out of IMG Academy. The Trojans also have 14 four-star recruits to have committed as well.
USC’s class of 2026 also has 27 total commitments, 13 of which are from the Southern California area.
Related: USC Legend Attempting to Prevent 4-Star From Choosing Alma Mater
This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 4, 2025, where it first appeared.
