Elijah Hughes is the sleeper of the USC Class of 2023

Elijah Hughes is drawing some very favorable comparisons as he prepares to become a USC Trojan.

The early signing period ran its course with the Trojans signing 19 of their 20 commitments in the 2023 cycle, the No. 11 class nationally.

Three-star Arlington (VA) defensive lineman Elijah Hughes may be the most underrated USC Trojan commit in the 2023 class.

The lineman announced his commitment to USC over Virginia Tech and Stanford last week. I expect Hughes to be an All-Pac-12 player next season for the Trojans.

At Liberty HS (Arlington, VA) Hughes led his defense with 113 tackles and 13 sacks. The Trojans will need Hughes to play sooner rather than later with Stanley Ta’ufo’ou being the only experienced nose tackle/defensive tackle on their roster.

Trojans now have three interior defensive line commits in this 2023 class in Sam Greene (St. Frances Academy/Baltimore, Md.), Deijon Laffitte (Colony HS/Ontario, Calif.), and Hughes.

I expect Hughes — currently at 6-foot-3, 265 pounds — to add on weight and play the 3-tech inside for the Trojans next season and beyond.

USC did recently add a commitment from Arizona defensive line transfer Kyon Barrs. All-American Tuli Tuipulotu’s future is still up in the air, but he is expected to depart for the NFL.

Hughes showed great versatility in high school and generated pass rush production from a variety of positions and techniques. Hughes’ tape reminds me heavily of former first-round pick and current New York Jet Solomon Thomas, formerly of Stanford.

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