New five-star defensive end Matayo Uiagalelei released his top three on Thursday, with Ohio State, USC and Oregon making the cut.
The Bellflower (Calif.) St. John Bosco standout had also been considering Georgia - and a visit to Athens looked like it was in the works – but Uiagalelei will focus on his current three moving forward.
Below, we Rank The Contenders in Uiagalelei’s recruitment.
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RIVALS RANKINGS WEEK
Sunday: Who should be No. 1?
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Tuesday: Rivals250 released | Biggest Risers | Gorney's thoughts | Teams that should be pleased
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USC
The Trojans have shot up the board for many reasons and now have a slight edge in Uiagalelei’s recruitment. If his brother, DJ, comes back West to finish out his college career then being close would make a lot of sense, and there have been some rumors that UCLA could be in the running for the former Clemson quarterback. Being across town could be palatable if the Trojans don’t make a run at the former five-star QB. There are some close to Uiagalelei, who would love to see him at USC and playing for coach Lincoln Riley, especially since the Trojans have so quickly turned the program around this season.
There are also other considerations that put USC in a strong position. Uiagalelei is serious about being in the music industry - he’s already taken significant steps toward that goal - and being in Los Angeles would afford him opportunities he couldn’t find elsewhere. Defensive line coach Shaun Nua is also someone a lot of people close to Uiagalelei respect, and that could go a long way in the final decision as well.
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OHIO STATE
The Buckeyes are very close in Uiagalelei’s recruitment and a convincing argument could be made for them to still be atop his list. If his brother ends up playing somewhere other than the West Coast, then that could afford Uiagalelei the option to go anywhere as well, and he’s been highly interested in Ohio State for a long time. There have been rumors that it was one stop where his older brother, DJ, would have wanted him to go and that’s why there has been so much interest for so long.
Uiagalelei loves the player development at Ohio State. He has a great relationship with position coach Larry Johnson and he sees players getting pumped out of there every season for the NFL. All those things - plus a visit earlier this season for the Notre Dame game - could be difficult to turn down. USC has stormed up the list, but Ohio State makes a compelling case.
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OREGON
There is a lot of love about the Oregon coaching staff for Uiagalelei. There are also some Bellflower (Calif.) St. John Bosco connections there as former teammates Kris Hutson and Sua’ava Poti are on the team, but it looks like the Ducks are running in third place at this point.
Oregon does offer a lot from a young coaching staff in Dan Lanning and Tosh Lupoi, a respected position coach in Tony Tuioti and much more – plus it’s relatively close to home without being right down the road. The Ducks win and develop NFL players, but it feels like they trail USC and Ohio State at this point.
