In addition to hosting a slew of top prospects from the 2025 and 2026 recruiting classes on Saturday, the USC coaching staff was also working to add another impactful piece to its 2024 haul.

Ratumana Bulabalavu, a three-star defensive lineman from the Army and Navy Academy in Carlsbad, was one of a handful of recruits who signed with Washington in December (and was already officially listed on the Huskies' roster) that then asked to be released from his National Letter of Intent after the unexpected shakeup with former head coach Kalen DeBoer bolting for Alabama last month.

The Trojans had tried to make a late push for Bulabalavu before the December signing period, but he was already committed to the Huskies at that point and held firm to his decision -- though he had formed a strong connection with defensive line coach Shaun Nua and was certainly intrigued by the program.

When USC quickly reached out again upon Bulabalavu getting his release from Washington and reopening his recruitment, the timing was suddenly very right for him to take a closer look at the Trojans with an official visit this weekend.

"When I put my name back out there, they were actually one of the first schools to reach out, and that was really, really surprising to me. Even though I was hoping they would reach out, I had already told myself they weren't going to be reach back out because I thought they would have already been full for the Class of 2024," Bulabalavu told TrojanSports.com in an in-depth interview Sunday. "But when Coach Nua did reach out, I was really excited, happy that that opportunity was still on the table because I do feel a connection with all the coaches who I had talked with before I committed to Washington."