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USC Signs 19 Players So Far*; Matayo Uiagalelei To Oregon

Five-star defensive end Matayo Uiagalelei committed to Oregon this morning.

St. John Bosco coach Jason Negro made the announcement, saying Uiagalelei was in the hospital and could not be at the school’s Signing Day press conference. Should people wait for the letter of intent to be signed?

This comes as a stinging loss for USC because Uiagalelei was assumed to have the Trojans as his favorite for some time. And Lincoln Riley recruited him hard.

Here are the players who signed with USC. As of right now, Rivals ranks the class No. 13 nationally.

  • Five-star QB Malachi Nelson
  • Five -star WR Zachariah Branch
  • Four-star LB Tackett Curtis
  • Four-star OLB Braylan Shelby
  • Four-star RB A’Marion Peterson
  • Four-star RB Quinten Joyner
  • Four-star OT Elijah Paige
  • Four-star WR Makai Lemon
  • Three-star OT Tobias Raymond
  • Three-star DT Elijah Hughes
  • Three-star OL Amos Talalele
  • Three-star DT Deijon Laffitte
  • Three-star OLB David Peevy
  • Three-star OG Micah Banuelos
  • Three-star TE Kade Eldridge
  • Three-star S Christian Pierce
  • Three-star DT Sam Greene

USC is waiting for letters from CB Maliki Crawford, IOL Alani Noa and WR Ja’Kobi Lane.

UPDATED: Crawford and Noa have signed, making it 19 players.

25 thoughts on “USC Signs 19 Players So Far*; Matayo Uiagalelei To Oregon”

  1. Ukelele is a moron. If pac 12 signs streaming rights with Amazon, the conference will play in obscurity, hurting value of NIL deals. Amazon might be more $$ for schools but out of sight out of mind players. Brilliant DJ.

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  2. Matayo Uiagalelei isn’t very bright. Going to a school that is losing players into the portal left and right, just lost a top QB to ucla, apparently the staff has issues with the head coach, a school that is in a joke conference, good luck.

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  3. This is a terrific class! Too bad we lost Matayo to Oregon but we have landed loads of talent. I’m going over the films of these guys and I think our QB and Running Backs are about the best we’ve ever had. Seriously. I know that is saying something bold but Nelson has a heck of an arm and he also throws it with a lot of touch too. The RB’s are very strong and we have definitely landed two guys that have outrageous top speed. There’s nothing quite like a running back that can run between the tackles and also kick in the after burners and flat out motor right by the second and third levels. I can’t wait see how this QB / RB combination can run wheel routes and give the opposing DC’s nightmares. We also have some pretty good O Line guys and we have some front 7 Defensive guys who are outstanding. It’s a great time to be a Trojan!!!!

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    1. Bryan,

      With Caleb playing qb, I think the new qb coming in will have some work to do before you say he is the best we ever had. I saw him against bosco or mater dei and he looked good but not up there yet. No I have not seen any film on him so I am going from knowing how Caleb can play and him winning the heisman. If the new guy wins a heisman or two then I will agree. Thank you.

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      1. True, Pasadena. Add to that: Caleb can take any hit. He got hurt by turning on the burners on that would -be touchdown —not by getting hit. He’s as tough as they come.

        Liked by 1 person

      2. Definitely any high school player has to adjust to the college game. Caleb is probably going to be in the NFL after next season so that gives Nelson a redshirt year to get the details down. That’s actually perfect timing for us and him anyway. Giving a kid an extra year to grow and get stronger and more comfortable with the offense is valuable. It’s sure going to be fun to see our team. As I get updates on our commits, we are looking great! We are filling out extremely well…!!!

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  4. Oregon opened up the money bags after they lost their QB. Some estimate that Mateo received over $2 million, maybe close to $3 million. But $$$ can only go so far in creating a winning program.

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  5. Scooter,

    I have been barking, screaming, hollering, asking, pleading, and praying for oline and dline. Well, prayers are answered, SC got 5 olinemen and 3 dlinemen. Very good. They need time to develop. With the loss of a few starters, maybe one or two of these new guys will start.

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      1. Michael,

        I am hoping that Vorhees stays just to help the line get developed for one year before he leaves. I know it is selfish on my part and if the kid is ready to go, then it will be hard to stop him. But I hope he thinks about this deeply. SC could use him for one more year. It would really solidify the line.

        Liked by 1 person

      2. I think we’re sorta screwed on that one, my friend. Both Vorhees and Neilon are seniors — no first magnitude left guard or center next season.

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  6. USC has real problems getting talented d-line and o-line prospects. We lost both Tunmise and Matayo in one day. No major offensive line prospects have committed to us. I wonder if Shaun Nua is not considered to be a coach that can develop talent? Why cant Josh Henson get any good commits?

    If USC doesnt get its act together on the line, it just wont be able to go undefeated in the Pac-12 next year, no matter how good the skill players are. Washington, Oregon, Utah, UCLA in one season will be a real tough schedule. The Pac-12 is going to go from a weakling conference to a really competitive conference in my opinion.

    The linebacker situation is getting much better next year, but the d-line might be terrible without Tuli.

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    1. Grinch’s job is simply to keep the score down —which he and Riley think he can do with Odom coaching the linebackers….
      #ObviouslyNoFiveStarsAreImpressedWithOurD-LineCoach

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  7. Not surprised by UGLYlele going to the lame ducks. He’d rather get his money now and transfer out before playing in the Las Vegas bowl. He’ll probably end up at USC sooner than later… ✌🏻

    This class is looking solid for Riley and his staff. Keep beefing up the Defense! The receiving corps is off the charts! Scoring won’t be a problem next season. 😎

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  8. This is outstanding 👇

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  9. I want you guys to compare what USC has to what Oregon has and ask yourself, which team filled needs or won the press conference. Oregon just pulled a Jimbo Fisher and got headlines but they needed help at the D-tackle spots, linebackers and lights out freshmen who can help on offense while they get bigger and stronger during their careers. In other words, they stacked talent but didn’t develop versatility. USC has filled out the roster more but still lacks firepower in the linemen spots, specifically, d-tackles who can play 3 technique right away and tackles that are 1st round NFL draft quality. I like both Elijahs but relying on freshmen can be a tricky proposition.

    It’s really important that the Braedon guy signs with USC so the defense can rise to a championship level. Matayo got the bag but he should know that he won’t be able to play for USC because the door will be packed with players he can’t get past. Conley disappeared being up in Oregon, you’d think the family would have noticed that?

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  10. Matayo comments didn’t say much about the Oregon, he just said that he liked his future teammates and coaches. I had read that Matayo had an interest in music. His decision to choose Oregon doesn’t make sense. Best of luck, happy to role with guys who want to be Trojans!

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  11. Braden Shelby is a better pas rush prospect but Matayo is a like-for-like replacement of Tuli. I’d rather have him on my side than against my side. Oregon getting him gives Lanning access to St John Bosco that the Ducks struggled to establish. The problem is Tosh Lupoi is a liability and that guy doesn’t bring any winning coaching to the defense. The offense is still a mess and USC has solved it’s middle of the field/cover TE problem with more athletes with speed to cover these tall guys other teams are using against USC.

    Getting Braden from Western Michigan will put the Trojans in the leader position to win the conference. It’s too close to call right now with Utah still being the best team (unless Rising decides to go pro)

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