Coming out of high school up in Oregon, before he would arrive at USC as a 4-star prospect in the 2018 recruiting class, safety Talanoa Hufanga had what would prove to be a pivotal conversation with one of his football mentors, Vai Sikahema, the former star NFL kick returner with the Cardinals, Packers and Eagles.

"Coming out, he was asking me, 'Who do you really like to model your game after?' And I was like, 'Well, I don't really like to model, but I love to watch certain guys.' He said, 'Who's that guy?' I was like, 'Troy Polamalu.' He was like, 'OK, easy,'" Hufanga recalled. "He put me in a group text that day, actually in that moment. Got to get in contact with him and just learn from him."

That connection with the Trojans legend, from one highly-productive USC safety to another, would carry through Hufanga's time with the Trojans, which culminated this fall with the junior earning Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Year honors and first-team All-American accolades.

But it has reached another level now as the star safety has eschewed the usual draft prep facilities to train one-on-one with Polamalu leading up to the NFL draft next month.

"Just learning from him has been a blessing. For me, I came in contact with him coming out of high school, a little before I got to college, and I just wanted to utilize that as a resource over the years whether it was just FaceTime or calling, getting to know him over the years. He really believed in me, I would say, so when I asked if it was possible that I could train with him it was something that he took thought into and ultimately said yes, and that's where I am now," Hufanga shared Monday in a Zoom call with reporters, as he prepares for USC's pro day workout in front of NFL scouts on-campus Wednesday morning.

"Learning from him, it's very different. It's a training that's not common. It's not a lot of lifting weights. I would say we don't really lift weights. It's a lot of isokinetic movements, plyometrics that gets your body really flexible and very mobile. But learning from him, he has me doing it a little bit different than what you'd be doing at a normal draft facility. He has me reading books and doing different things just to help my mind."

Hufanga raved about an audiobook/podcast called "Can't Hurt Me" by David Goggins that he's found particularly illuminating and inspiring.

Those who have listened to Hufanga's interviews over the years, or who have been around him, know he's a very cerebral person, so it's no surprise that he'd be a little outside-the-box in preparing for his professional future.

"A lot of what we do is a lot of stuff off the field -- I think that's the most important thing is being authentic and showing your true character, being very detail-oriented in what we do, whether it's the diet, whether it's the hydration, the sleep. When you do all those things, it kind of comes together," Hufanga explained.

This week, however, will be the safety's chance to make an impression on the field for NFL scouts. With no central NFL Scouting Combine this year due to COVID considerations, pro talent evaluators are trekking around the country to college football programs' pro days to collect the same testing results, scouting assessments and opinions they'd normally get all in one spot in Indianapolis.

Hufanga says he doesn't have any idea what his projected draft grade is, and it comes across as authentic. He as grounded and sincerely humble as any college athlete of his accomplishments could be.

"Whether I'm drafted or undrafted, all I ask is for one opportunity just to go showcase my talents and give me a chance to show what I can do," he said Monday. "But I'm very fortunate where I'm at and I'm very blessed and I'm grateful. Hopefully everything I've done at the college level can hopefully progress and translate over to the next level."

Hufanga said he will compete in all the tests/drills at pro day. There isn't any one he's particularly focused on, or any way in which he's specifically hoping to open any eyes. He doesn't think about it like that.

"I think that's a lot of pressure if you make it pressure. For me, I'm very confident in my abilities and I'm grateful for my lord and savior, so having him on my side I should never feel pressure to do anything," he said. "This is football and this is what we love to do. At the end of the day, it shouldn't be anything stressful."

To that end, he's also not consumed with whatever questions may circulate about injury history. The pre-draft process is highly-scrutinizing, and Hufanga's health will surely be dissected and debated among teams considering drafting him. He twice broke his right collarbone -- during his freshman season in 2018 and again that following spring. He then dislocated that right shoulder during the 2019 season, ultimately leading to offseason surgery.

But he came back strong to play in all six games of USC's shortened 2020 campaign, leading the team with 62 tackles and 4 interceptions to go along with 5.5 tackles for loss, 3 sacks and 2 forced fumbles.

Hufanga was asked Monday if he's already gotten questions from NFL teams about his injury history, or if he's concerned it will impact his draft stock.

"To be honest, I don't hear too much just because I was able to play a full season pretty healthy. And I've been able to get some medicals done and everything has showcased pretty clean so I really can't complain," he said. "... That's up to them to make a decision on me. I really don't know what else I can do than be present in the moment, and I'm very blessed with that. I'm healthy right now and I hope they consider that fact, but that's up to them and their decisions. For me, just being able to play this season fully healthy was a blessing."

Said USC coach Clay Helton: "Unfortunate to any athlete that has an injury at any point in time in their college career, but I always look at, how did they return from the injury? So Talanoa has a shoulder injury that was fixed and fixed well and made him very confident not only returning but returning at an All-American level."

The other question that comes is exactly what kind of player is he at the next level? How does he best fit in an NFL defense?

That is another one Hufanga is happy to defer to those making the ultimate decisions.

"I feel like my game can be very versatile to all levels of the game, whether they need me at the post and free safety, they need me to the boundary in the boundary safety or strong safety. But I like to sell myself that I can do anything, whether it's be a corner, be a linebacker, and sometimes I like to blitz so if you consider me an edge rusher, a D-lineman I love it," he said, joking about that last part. "I just love football. Wherever a team puts me at -- like our team did, I played linebacker for one game, I was fortunate to be all around on the field, I love special teams, so I was able to play punt and punt return this year as well. So anywhere I'm on the field I'm blessed and I'm thankful. We'll see where it ends up -- I couldn't tell you."

Wednesday is an important showcase for Hufanga with representatives from all 32 NFL teams expected to be at USC, but ultimately his film the last few years makes its own compelling statement and will most likely be the reason an NFL team decides it wants to invest in an instinctual, heady playmaker being able to transfer what he does best to the next level.

"I don't know if you can replace a Talanoa," Helton said. "... He's such a dynamic athlete, he can be a post safety, he can be a box safety, he can be a flat zone safety, he's shown his ability to rush the passer, he's shown himself in man coverage. He's one of those guys that whoever gets that guy is going to be very, very thankful. Because one, he puts team above self and with a high level of talent. He's the reason that teams win, when you have that type of personality and mindset he has."