USC landed its first 2022 commitment Tuesday as Bishop Alemany High School outside linebacker Niuafe Tuihalamaka announced his early decision.
Tuihalamaka already stands 6-foot-3, 230 pounds and had garnered 12 offers through the end of his sophomore season, in which he totaled 65 tackles, 7 tackles for loss and 8 QB hurries (according to MaxPreps).
With still two more years of high school ahead of him, the intrigue with Tuihalamaka is just how much more he'll grow and develop before he even reaches campus.
As USC fans know all too well, no commitment is a done deal until that player formally signs when the time comes. But with Tuihalamaka having grown up a USC fan and with a close family friend on the staff in graduate assistant Viane Talamaivao, the prospect's Trojans commitment makes a lot of sense.
So what should excite USC fans about this news? Rivals recruiting analyst Adam Gorney delivers his scouting report on Tuihalamaka and what he thinks this commitment means for the Trojans:
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What makes Niuafe Tuihalamaka one of the top prospects in the 2022 class?
Gorney: "He's like a throwback linebacker for USC from years past. He's a big kid, is just going to get bigger, runs well, covers well and hits people. And he's looking to hit people. He is nothing about finesse -- he wants to go out and hit people on the field. And I think that's interesting, I think that's telling. Everyone knew he was one of the best 2022 kids in California, but I think getting him on campus this weekend was important for him to meet [new defensive coordinator] Todd Orlando, and I think what Todd Orlando wants to do with that defense is exactly what Tuihalamaka wants to do on defense -- and that's be aggressive and fly around the field."
