Ad Disclosure
USC stays hot on the recruiting trail, flips NorCal athlete away from Utah
Published:
USC landed a verbal commitment from Folsom (Calif.) High athlete Nela Tupou on Sunday.
A day after defeating UCLA at the Rose Bowl, the Trojans kept the momentum going on the recruiting trail with their fourth commitment in the last week. He’s also the third flip USC has landed. Tupou had been committed to Utah since February.
View this post on Instagram
Tupou is a 3-star athlete in the industry-generated 247 Composite. He’s the No. 96 athlete in the class and the No. 94 prospect from the state of California. In the overall player rankings, Tupou ranks as the No. 1,190 recruit.
He took a visit to USC the weekend of the Nebraska game and becomes the fourth visitor from that weekend to commit. The headliners, of course, are 5-star quarterback Husan Longstreet (previously a Texas A&M pledge) and 4-star tackle Alex Payne (previously a UNC pledge). Three-star defensive lineman Cash Jacobsen also committed following his visit.
Tight ends coach Zach Hanson was the primary recruiter for Tupou, signaling which side of the ball USC projects as his better long-term fit. Utah was recruiting him as an edge rusher. The 6-foot-4, 220-pound Tupou produced 29 receptions for 550 yards and 11 touchdowns this fall for Folsom.
His pledge gives USC 23 known commits now in the 2025 cycle. The group ranks 11th nationally in the Composite team rankings. You can see his highlight tape below, via Hudl:
Derek Peterson does a bit of everything, not unlike Taysom Hill. He has covered Oklahoma, Nebraska, the Pac-12, and now delivers CFB-wide content.