USC LB Palaie Gaoteote reaching 'another level' entering his third season

When Todd Orlando was hired as USC's defensive coordinator this offseason, it seemed a logical expectation that no player would stand to benefit more than junior linebacker Palaie Gaoteote.

A 5-star prospect in the 2018 class, Gaoteote's raw athleticism and play-making potential flashed the last two seasons even if the results weren't always consistent. Objectively, he hadn't yet become the player many expected, but it also always seemed well within his reach to fulfill that potential still.

And not only was he now getting away from a defensive system within which he never seemed to fully thrive, but he was getting a new coordinator who also coaches his position and has a track record of elevating linebackers he's worked with at most every stop of his career.

So if there was one player who seemed perfectly suited as a beneficiary of Orlando's arrival it was "EA."

Which made it especially encouraging to hear head coach Clay Helton say on Thursday that those best hopes for the Orlando-Gaoteote relationship have indeed come to fruition -- at least on the practice field.

"I said this the other day, but I’ve been so impressed with EA and his progress from last year to this year," Helton said. "His maturity level, his acceptance of coaching and hard coaching with TO has been great for him, to be honest with you. TO has taken him to another level. ... I think the guy that has benefited the most in my opinion has been EA. He’s on another level right now of where he's been. He’s playing his best ball since he’s been here. I look forward to watching him on Saturdays."

All preseason hype should be taken with the perspective that everything is always discussed with the most positive slant in preseason camp settings -- and especially in this year when media aren't permitted to watch practice due to COVID-19 protocols -- but this particular evaluation makes sense for the reasons stated. And it bodes well for the Trojans' overall outlook, as sorting out the linebacker spots has been the biggest question facing the defense leading into this 2020 season.

Gaoteote is playing the "Rover" linebacker spot, with sophomore Ralen Goforth and junior Kana'i Mauga competing at the "Mac", or middle linebacker, position. In Orlando's defense, the Rover is used in a lot of blitzes, and anyone who watched Gaoteote's first two seasons at USC can attest that his best attribute is his combination of speed and strength when able to be deployed instinctively and freely (as in, not overthinking and shouldered with a lot of complex responsibility). Some of his best moments last season were knifing around the edge to make quick plays in the backfield.