Matai Tagoa’i, the #11 linebacker in the 2025 recruiting class, was scheduled to visit several prominent college programs this summer, but on Monday he committed to USC Football.
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The 6’4″ 210 lbs junior from San Clemente, CA made his decision after meeting with the Trojans three times in the last week. On3 credits, new linebackers coach, Matt Entz as the primary recruiter. Tagoa’i is the sixth defensive player to commit to USC in the wake of an overhaul of the defensive coaching staff.
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Tagoa’i has full faith in the new staff, “It definitely shows me that [Lincoln Riley] wants to put an emphasis on the defensive side of the ball because I think he knows that to have a winning team, you need a defense that can stop different types of offenses that they’re running in college football,”
The Trojans have struggled to find quality linebackers as of late. 2023’s starting linebacker, Mason Cobb led the nation with 29 missed tackles last season.
As a junior, he racked up 59 tackles, eight for loss, and seven sacks in 11 games. He also played basketball season and averaged 2.3 rebounds per game, playing just 8 minutes per game, per Max Preps.
