Four-star OT Justin Tauanuu completes flip from Stanford to USC

Four-star offensive tackle prospect Justin Tauanuu recently indicated that he'd arrive at a final decision soon. At the time, the Huntington Beach High School left tackle was still committed to Stanford but had already been to several USC games. Earlier in the year, upon receiving an offer from the Trojans, he elaborated on how closely his family has paid attention to the program over the years and the clear push to get him to stay home to play for Lincoln Riley.

It took some time, but that all came to fruition Friday when the 6-foot-6 prospect became the latest member of USC's 2024 recruiting class completing a flip from the Cardinal. Tauanuu backed away from his pledge officially Thursday evening before announcing his plan to commit Friday morning.

"They have a good education, and they have great football," he said.

The Trojans had been making a push for Tauanuu throughout the fall keeping in contact with him through offensive line coach Josh Henson leading to several game day visits already this season.

"Coach Henson is pretty cool to talk with," he previously told TrojanSports. "He's been really communicative with me over this whole recruiting process."

Development played a big part in the decision-making process for Tauanuu who also weighed the likely chance to play as a freshman at Stanford as he ultimately came to a decision.

He feels that USC provides him the best opportunity to grow as a player under Henson even if it means waiting some time to take the field with the Trojans — the current plan is to have him redshirt, he says.

"I'm just looking at the development," he said. "... How I would develop into, hopefully, a good NFL player."

The overall fit for Tauanuu matches what he has been looking for in a school and team. Low key by nature, the four-star prospect has mostly kept his recruitment quiet not promoting campus visits or going out of his way to generate noise about his decision.

He quietly committed to Stanford over the summer, and throughout his visits to USC he certainly saw how he could fit into the program.

"The vibe was really, really cool over there," he said. "They work hard, but they also have times where they have a little bit of fun."

Tauanuu is now the 17th commitment for Riley and the Trojans in the 2024 cycle as well as the fourth offensive lineman in the group joining four-star prospects Makai Saina and Jason Zandamela plus three-star Colorado-based recruit Hayden Treter.