USC lands commitment from 4-star TE Michael Trigg out of Florida
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TAMPA, Fla. -- USC's second surge of 2021 recruiting momentum continued Sunday when 4-star tight end Michael Trigg (Tampa, Fla.) announced his commitment, choosing the Trojans over LSU and South Carolina.
Trigg is the Trojans' fourth commit in the month of October, following 3-star OT Ty Buchanan, 4-star CB Philip Riley and 3-star WR Josh Moore, who committed on Friday.
He's USC's second tight end commit in this 2021 class, along with 3-star prospect Lake McRee, and their 22nd overall commitment this cycle as they continue to maintain a top-5 national recruiting class (currently ranked fourth).
As if the point hadn't been made clear already that this has been a significant recruiting rejuvenation for USC this year, winning a key recruiting battle over LSU for an East Coast prospect further emphasized it.
Trigg and his family had flown to Los Angeles last weekend for a self-guided tour of USC's campus, led by Trojans QB commit Miller Moss, and then had Sunday brunch with Moss and fellow top targets Korey Foreman and Ceyair Wright. But Trigg says his decision was made before he even took that trip.
"I knew I was going there. I totally knew. I knew for like a month now, honestly," he told TrojanSports.com ahead of his announcement. "Just talking to the coaches, and once I watched the Zoom I was pretty much sold on it. When they were showing me Drake London and all the catches he was making, I see myself making those catches every day."
The 6-foot-4, 230-pound tight end plays more of a wide receiver role for his Carrollwood Day School team in Tampa, but the Trojans are eying him as a future successor to London -- the 4-star WR who had a breakout season as a freshman last year while playing sort of a hybrid in-line tight end role.
London also has the versatility to move outside in the future as the Trojans eventually lose some of their veteran stalwarts at the position. But the USC staff has used him as a model of what's possible for tight end recruits, as they did in that pivotal Zoom call with Trigg that featured head coach Clay Helton, tight ends coach John David Baker and assistant AD/player development Gavin Morris.
"At first they were showing me the campus, and I was like, 'I'm going to come up and see the campus for myself,' so I want to see how they would use me. They showed me that and I was convinced from that point," Trigg said.
Trigg is the second Tampa-area 4-star prospect to commit to the Trojans in the last couple weeks, along with Riley.
As for relocating across the country, he said, "My first flag football number was 5 so I always had a place in my heart for Reggie Bush, USC. ... They say if you're not in Florida, the closest thing to Florida is L.A., so I think I'm L.A. ready."
Trigg said ultimately he chose the Trojans over LSU, but he said it wasn't a close decision. He also noted that he told the USC coaches of his intentions about a month ago.
The visit to Los Angeles last weekend was just further confirmation, and a beneficial opportunity to get to know a guy who may be throwing him passes in the future, in Moss.
"I was talking to Miller before I went up there, so I got to know him pretty good. I already kind of knew him, but it was good face to face so I [got to know] him a lot better," Trigg said. "It's already a relationship building right now so once we start throwing the ball, getting in practice and stuff it's going to be second nature."
Trigg is a two-sport athlete who was also a basketball prospect (like London), and the plan is for him to try to follow London's path as a walk-on addition to the Trojans basketball team as well.
