Utah linebacker Ephraim Asiata to attend USC for official visit

A recruit with an NFL father has a dramatic personal story.

Ephraim Asiata, the son of former NFL running back Matt Asiata, was shot near Hunter High School on January 13. Two of Asiata’s teammates were killed in the shooting. Asiata survived. He is well on the road to recovery and back on the football field.

USC football is set to host Ephraim, the Herriman (Utah) linebacker, this weekend versus Stanford.

The 6-foot-1, 220-pound Asiata is ranked as the 114th-best linebacker in the 2024 class, 14th best in the state of Utah, and the No. 1,277 overall player in the class by the 247Sports composite.

Ephraim’s dad, NFL running back Matt Asiata, rushed for more than 1,200 yards in his career. The elder Asiata attended Snow College, Utah and Oregon State.

Ephraim Asiata, aka “Fatboy,” is a three-star linebacker who has tallied 26 total tackles and 6.5 sacks so far in this high school football season. It will be fascinating to see how much he evolves and if he can raise his overall ceiling as a prospect.

Check out our Pac-12 football predictions roundtable for the 2023 season.