Tag: Elijah Paige

One fact shows why USC football fell short in the Big Ten this year

USC placed just one player on the Big Ten’s first team this year, and it was the punter. Few facts will tell a simpler story about the Trojans in 2024.

There are many indicators and telling facts which explain why USC football fell woefully short in Big Ten football competition this year. Earlier this week, the Big Ten announced its all-conference football teams for the 2024 season.

In a rather fitting development just one Trojans made the first team. Who was it, you ask? Why, that would be punter Eddie Czaplicki, of course.

Czaplicki being the lone Trojan to earn all-conference honors was a rather fitting microcosm of USC’s season. The Trojans struggled offensively throughout the year, with Czaplicki frequently needing to bail them out in terms of field position.

Two USC players did earn second team all-Big Ten honors: offensive lineman Emmanuel Pregnon and running back Woody Marks. The Trojans also had four players on the third team: offensive lineman Jonah Monheim, cornerback Jaylin Smith, long snapper Hank Pepper, and return specialist Makai Lemon.

In addition, Lemon was an all-conference honorable mention at wide receiver. Also earning honorable mention recognition were linebacker Easton Macarena’s-Arnold, offensive lineman Elijah Paige, tight end Lake McRee, safety Kmari Ramsey, and defensive lineman Gavin Meyer.

The Trojans finished the regular season 6-6, and await their bowl game destination.

Elijah Paige needs to be a breakout freshman at USC

Elijah Paige is a big man who needs to come up big for USC.

USC Trojans starting left tackle Elijah Paige was named to the Shaun Alexander Freshman of the Year Award watch list. The award is given to the most outstanding freshman player (true freshman or redshirt freshman) in college football.

Paige is a redshirt freshman who played in five games in 2023 last season, starting in one versus Louisville.

He was a important standout and key piece in the Holiday Bowl win against Louisville, protecting Miller Moss’ blind side. He enters 2024 as one of the most important pieces on USC’s roster. He needs to have a big year in order for USC to have a big year.

Paige went viral this off-season when ESPN’s Pat McAfee had this to say about the four-star recruit:  “This has to be an AI edit.. is that an 8’ tall man?” McAfee posted that quote on X.

Paige is listed as 6-foot-8 and 320 pounds at only 19 years of age.

The Shaun Alexander Freshman of the Year Award has been presented to the college freshman player of the year since 2018, and is named in honor of Shaun Alexander, a former Alabama standout and the 2005 NFL MVP with the Seattle Seahawks. Past winners include Trevor Lawrence (Clemson) in 2018, Kenneth Gainwell (Memphis) in 2019, Will Anderson Jr. (Alabama) in 2020, Brock Bowers (Georgia) in 2021, Drake Maye (North Carolina) in 2022 and Caleb Downs (Alabama) in 2023.

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Is the USC Trojans’ offensive line ready for LSU’s pass rush?

USC’s offensive line has to make sure Miller Moss has time to find open receivers against LSU.

USC football offensive line coach Josh Henson has an early opportunity to silence criticism of the poor performance of the 2023 Trojan offensive line. Henson’s first really big test of 2024 arrives quickly, when the Men of Troy play the LSU Tigers at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas in Week 1 of the college football season. LSU Wire recently discussed if the Tigers in Baton Rouge could replicate coordinator Blake Baker’s attacking pass rush last year at Missouri.

In 2023, Missouri’s defense under Blake Baker ranked No. 8 nationally in sack rate. Arriving at LSU along with Baker was defensive ends coach Kevin Peoples, who was a key to Missouri’s elite pass rush last fall.

Baker and Peoples will look to achieve similar numbers at LSU, but whether the Tigers can reach that mark in 2024 remains a question.

Bradyn Swinson proved to be a valuable defender down the stretch, but he needs to put it together over the course of an entire season. A promising breakout candidate is former five-star Da’Shawn Womack as he enters his sophomore year.

With LSU’s liability at corner and thin depth on the interior defensive line, the pass rush needs to be strength of this defense.

USC fans are confident about the emerging combination of Emmanuel Pregnon and Elijah Page. They are excited to see how the Trojans’ Swiss Army Knife on the offensive line, Jonah Monheim, will perform in leading his younger but skilled teammates.  On the right side of the line it will all come down to consistency, and offensive line coach Josh Henson has made it clear that the guard who can lock down that stability on the right side will be the guy. Last year’s early season injuries and off season roster issues thrust Alani Noa into a starting role early on. If Noa can establish cohesion in his sophomore year with Mason Murphy, another skilled lineman who has struggled to maintain consistency, the Trojans’ offensive line should see significant improvement.

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Lincoln Riley challenges veterans on USC offensive line to step up in 2024

Lincoln Riley needs Emmanuel Pregnon to evolve and perform this year.

USC’s offensive line room never quite came together as a unit in 2023.  I asked Lincoln Riley during his weekly press conference on Saturday about the offensive line’s play last year. He said there were games when the unit struggled and lost: UCLA, Notre Dame, and Oregon.

“Yeah, we had a we had a handful of games last year we didn’t play good enough you know, handful of the games that we lost,” answered Riley. He clarified the games were at Notre Dame and at home against Washington and UCLA. “We certainly didn’t play good enough in those games to win.  We had some good moments but we were too inconsistent.”

The problems with the line started before the season kicked off. USC had to replace two huge pieces who anchored the veteran unit in 2022, All-America left guard Andrew Vorhees and multi-year starter Brett Neilon at center.  USC had luck in 2022 bringing in Bobby Haskins as a grad transfer from Virginia to help shore up the line.

The hope was to slide Justin Dedich over from right guard to center in 2023 and bring in players from the portal. It began to fall apart when second-team All-SEC selection Ethan White, who transferred from Florida, suffered an injury which kept him from joining USC. He medically retired before he arrived on campus.

Riley went on to explain what went wrong last year, with the Trojans’ offensive line never coming together as a cohesive unit.

“I would agree, I don’t know that we ever completely gelled as a unit. I think it starts with your your older players. Your older guys, your leaders have got to play their best; they’ve got to be great leaders: they’ve got to set the tone.  I think at times last year that did not necessarily happen all the time.

“So you know there’s obviously Jonah [Monheim], you’re talking about [Emmanuel] Pregnon — some of the guys that have now played some snaps for us. Mason Murphy, you need those guys to step up.”

Veterans will need to step up. The members of the 2023 class, who were true freshmen last year, are looking for leadership while competing for playing time this fall. During a press conference, Riley named all five offensive linemen from that class: Micah Banuelos, Elijah Paige, Alani Noa, Amos Talalele, and Tobias Raymond. Riley is relying on his upperclassmen’s consistent leadership to bring this group together.

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Notre Dame receives another commitment from offensive lineman!

Notre Dame will stay at No. 1 in the 2023 recruiting rankings for at least a little longer after this one!

Remember when Notre Dame landed five-star quarterback [autotag]C.J. Carr[/autotag] from Michigan less than 24 hours ago?  Well that’s officially old news as Carr is no longer the most recent commitment to the Fighting Irish football program.

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Offensive lineman [autotag]Elijah Paige[/autotag] in the 2023 recruiting class is the latest commitment, making his decision known early Friday afternoon.

Paige comes with a three-star grade according to the 247Sports composite but a four star grade from the official 247Sports rankings.  He’s a mountain of a young man as he’s listed at 6-7, 304 pounds out of Pinnacle High School in Phoenix and chose the Irish over more than 30 other offers.

Paige is the 15th commitment in the 2023 recruiting class for Notre Dame and the fourth offensive lineman.  USC, UCLA, and Washington were among the other programs Paige visited before making his pledge to [autotag]Harry Hiestand[/autotag], [autotag]Marcus Freeman[/autotag], and the rest of the Notre Dame football program.

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Elijah Paige could be USC’s Day 1 starter on the offensive line next season

Elijah Paige makes the grade in rankings, and he looks the part on film. He could be the leader of #USC’s O-line class for 2023.

Rated the nation’s No. 237 overall prospect and No. 24 offensive tackle, Elijah Paige accumulated more than 30 scholarship offers during the recruiting process. The Pinnacle High School (Phoenix) prospect de-committed from Notre Dame and picked USC in October.

The offers Paige received included Notre Dame, Auburn, Miami, Michigan, Michigan State, Nebraska, Oregon, Penn State, Stanford, Tennessee, Utah, Washington and Wisconsin.

Paige has also been on the recruiting trail for the Trojans. Paige plays at Pinnacle High School with the TE1 in the 2023 class, Duce Robinson.

“I will definitely be recruiting Duce (Robinson),” Paige said. “We need him in this class. We are going to do great things and I’d love for him to contribute and be a part of that. I am definitely excited to recruit him.”

The Trojans also have offensive line commitments from Ventura (Calif.) offensive tackle Tobias Raymond, interior linemen Amos Talalele of Santa Clara (Calif.), Sacramento (Calif.) Grant Union’s Alani Noa, and Burien (Wash.) Kennedy Catholic’s Micah Banuelos.

Paige is the highest rated linemen of them all, and clearly the most talented. Paige could be a Day 1 starter after spring ball, especially with the departure of All-Pac-12 starters Andrew Voorhees and Brett Neilon.

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Notre Dame offers Wisconsin commit, could a flip be coming?

The Irish spatula is getting ready

For two very consistent programs, Wisconsin and Notre Dame, the 2022 season has not gone according to plan. Both began the season with a number next to their name; each fell out of the rankings after Week 3.

For the Badgers, it’s been a very rocky road. In October, began they parted ways with their head coach Paul Chryst after eight years and a .720 winning percentage. We all know how the Irish’s season has gone. It has been a trying one, but their recruiting hasn’t suffered unlike Wisconsin. Only one Irish player has entered the portal, Jacob Lacey, while Wisconsin has seen four.

Wisconsin’s highest rated commit, offensive lineman [autotag]Christopher Terek[/autotag] might be jumping ship before he even stepped foot in Madison. The Irish made an offer to the six-foot-five-inch and 320-pound lineman recently.

After the Irish had offensive lineman [autotag]Elijah Paige[/autotag] decommit at the end of September, many wondered if [autotag]Marcus Freeman[/autotag] and offensive line coach [autotag]Harry Hiestand[/autotag] would look to replace him. It seems they have at least one prospect, Terek, in mind and appear to be trying to flip the Badgers’ top commit.

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Ohio State is trying to flip 2023 Notre Dame commit after scholarship offer

Not great

There is blood in the water and there is a feeling that plenty of schools will be looking to flip current Notre Dame commits. There have already been four decommits for the 2023 cycle for the Irish ([autotag]Keon Keeley[/autotag], [autotag]Justyn Rhett[/autotag], [autotag]Elijah Paige[/autotag] and [autotag]Sedrick Irvin Jr.[/autotag]) and there is potential for more.

There are rumors that multiple teams are looking to flip the current highest rated Irish commit, safety [autotag]Peyton Bowen[/autotag]. Now it looks like [autotag]Marcus Freeman[/autotag] is going to have to keep Ohio State away from one of Notre Dame’s other commits. Today, the Buckeyes offered a scholarship to [autotag]Adon Shuler[/autotag], the New Jersey safety.

If you look through his recent activity on Twitter, most of it has ben pro Notre Dame, including visiting with former Irish star safety [autotag]Kyle Hamilton[/autotag]. There was however a retweet of fellow New Jersey star Vaboue Toure’s offer from Ohio State. Toure is a 2024 prospect but high school teammates with Shuler.

It’s hard to read into that retweet, Shuler could very well be just being happy for his teammate. Unfortunately, the saying, when there’s smoke, there’s a fire could apply here. Time will tell if Shuler is actually considering flipping to Ohio State, but the Buckeyes officially offering the Irish commit is a bit troubling.

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Trojan domino effect: Landing Elijah Paige could help USC get 5-star TE Duce Robinson

Successfully recruiting Elijah Paige could lead to a 2-for-1 deal involving another elite prospect. Lincoln Riley is trying to make it happen. #USC

Rated the nation’s No. 237 overall prospect and No. 24 offensive tackle, Elijah Paige accumulated more than 30 scholarship offers during the recruiting process. The Pinnacle High School (Phoenix) prospect decommitted from Notre Dame and picked USC earlier this week.

The offers Paige received included Notre Dame, Auburn, Miami, Michigan, Michigan State, Nebraska, Oregon, Penn State, Stanford, Tennessee, Utah, Washington and Wisconsin.

Paige’s recruitment could open the door to another elite recruit: Duce Robinson.

It is hard to shake the notion that Notre Dame’s slow start to the 2022 season, especially on offense with a sputtering attack which lost to Marshall (a team which subsequently lost to Bowling Green later in September), had at least some connection to Paige’s change of heart and his shift to USC and Lincoln Riley, a short distance from Phoenix along Interstate 10.

“USC is a special place,” he told On3 Sports. “What they are doing on the field speaks for itself, but the culture that they are building over there is second to none. I see the vision that Coach Riley has and it’s something that I need to be a part of.”

USC lands O-lineman Elijah Paige, who decommitted from Notre Dame; 1st consensus 4-star since 2019

The Trojans will hope they’re not finished at Pinnacle in this recruiting cycle. The nation’s No. 1 tight end, five-star Duce Robinson, is Paige’s teammate. This creates a 2-for-1 opportunity for Lincoln Riley. Robinson is still atop the board and at the forefront of USC’s list of priorities.

Robinson’s collection of interested schools includes: Georgia, Texas, Alabama, LSU, Notre Dame, Michigan, Ohio State, Oklahoma, Oregon, Texas A&M and Utah. Robinson is a dual-sport (baseball) athlete.

With USC’s potential depth chart and preseason ranking, Robinson should land in L.A. He could earn a spot on the Trojans’ baseball team as well with a new coach, Andy Stankiewicz, beginning his tenure at USC this year.

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USC lands O-lineman Elijah Paige, who decommitted from Notre Dame; 1st consensus 4-star since 2019

Elijah Paige is #USC’s first consensus 4-star offensive line recruit since 2019. It’s a Notre Dame flip, too. Josh Henson secures another huge get for the Trojans.

USC still hasn’t signed that elusive five-star offensive lineman. It has been several years since the Trojans have done that. However, USC and Lincoln Riley — and offensive line coach Josh Henson — have checked one very big box: They have landed a consensus four-star offensive lineman.

Elijah Paige, who decommitted from Notre Dame in recent weeks — almost certainly influenced by the Irish’s terrible start under coach Marcus Freeman and offensive coordinator Tommy Rees — has committed to USC. It’s a win over Notre Dame on the recruiting trail, which is great, but most of all, it continues USC’s run of successful offensive line recruitments this year. Ever since the Josh Conerly and Francis Mauigoa failures, Josh Henson has rebounded with a run of big wins, shutting down the idea that he couldn’t recruit his position group.

USC is accumulating the depth and quality on the offensive line which is, in so many ways, the long-term key to the success of this program. USC building line depth — offense and defense — is the most urgent need for the program. Depth is being built:

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