Class of 2025 four-star linebacker Matai Tagoa’i announced his commitment to USC Monday afternoon, continuing the Trojans’ strong recruiting push over the past few weeks.
Tagoa’i is the No. 80 overall prospect and No. 7 player in California in the 247Sports Composite. He is also the state’s top prospect in USC’s class.
It’s a strong cycle for linebackers in Southern California, and Tagoa’i is one of the top three prospects at the position — along with Madden Faraimo (No. 46) and Noah Mikhail (No. 54), who are not both not engaged.
What does this mean for USC?
The Trojans are building a big defensive class in the 2025 cycle. Tagoa’i is one of the top four defensive commits in the class, and all have been made since last Sunday. Linebacker has been a critical position for the Trojans, so this is a big win for first-year linebackers coach Matt Entz. There are still over eight months until the early signing period, so a lot can change, but Lincoln Riley and the USC staff have clearly done a good job of selling their new defensive vision.
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(Lincoln Riley Photo: Michael Reaves/Getty Images)