Opponent Insider: USC's Top Defensive Players

USC hasn’t been overly impressive on defense this season, ranking middle of the road in most categories. But there have been stretches this season when the young talent on the roster played like you’d think a unit littered with five-star recruits would look.

Notre Dame will certainly get USC’s best shot on Saturday night, and with the talent the Trojans have on all three levels, this defense could be more dangerous than their numbers suggest.

Let’s take a look at the five best players I saw on film for the Trojan defense:

#78 Jay Tufele, Defensive Tackle

2019 Stats: 19 tackles, 3.5 TFL’s, 2 sacks

Tufele isn’t the star that some make him out to be and he doesn’t quite play like a guy that was the five-star recruit that 247 Sports ranked him to be. Rivals also ranked him quite high, and while Tufele hasn’t quite lived up to that hype, he’s still a good football player.

The 6-3, 305-pound defensive tackle doesn’t make a lot of flash plays, but he grinds and does a lot of the dirty work. He’s a physical player at the point of attack and from the film I broke down is the most active and disruptive fun defender up front for the Trojans. Marlon Tuipulotu makes more plays on the ball, but Tufele sets up a lot of that and forces blockers to fight the entire play to defend him.

Tufele is a solid all-around player that doesn’t make a lot of sacks (5 career sacks) but Pro Football Focus has him second on the defense with 12 hurries in five games.

#15 Talanoa Hufanga, Safety

2019 Stats: 42 tackles, 2.5 TFL’s (4 games)

Not having Hufanga on defense against Washington hurt the Trojans. He doesn’t do much in coverage, but Hufanga is an extremely physical and active football player. At times he can be a bit undisciplined, but he plays with a great deal of physicality and can make a lot of plays. He loves coming down and mixing it up in the box, and his size (6-1, 220) and range make him an impact run defender.

Tufanga has just five career pass break ups and has yet to intercept a pass, but USC does a good job protecting him as much as possible. If Notre Dame can find ways to get him out of the box, or force him into coverage, it can do damage against him in the pass game. But if the Irish can’t do that he’ll make life difficult in the run game.

#2 Olaijah Griffin, Cornerback

2019 Stats: 17 tackles, 6 break ups

Griffin is just a sophomore, but the young Trojan corner is really good. He has good size (6-0, 170) for the position and his athleticism is top notch. Griffin is a natural cover player from an athletic standpoint, possessing quick feet, fluid hips and impressive top-end speed. He’s also a natural cover player from an instincts and football IQ standpoint, showing good route recognition and ball skills.

Griffin is also willing to come up and tackle against the run game or quick pass game. But it’s in coverage where he truly shines. According to PFF, he’s allowed just five completions on 16 targets through the team’s first five games. He was outstanding in the win over Stanford, breaking up four passes and not allowing a single reception.

He missed the loss to Washington but is expected back against the Irish.

#1 Palaie Gaoteote, Linebacker

2019 Stats: 41 tackles, 2 TFL’s

Gaoteote is still a young defender, and at times he plays a bit out of control. But when he’s on his game the Las Vegas native is a dynamic run defender. He plays an aggressive downhill game, which is why he leads the Trojan defense in run stops this season. Over the last three games he’s registered 32 tackles and 1.5 stops being the line, including a career-high 14 tackles in the upset win over then No. 10-ranked Utah.

Gaoteote is listed at 6-2 and 250 pounds, but he doesn’t look that big on film, possessing a lean frame. He shows a top-notch burst at the snap and he’s more fluid than you’d expect someone listed at 250 to be. His footwork isn’t where it needs to be due to his youth, but his agility and range are impressive.

Where Gaoteote struggles is with wrapping up and playing in coverage. He has a team-high 11 missed tackles, and opponents have completed 13 of the 15 passes in which he was targeted, according to PFF.

#99 Drake Jackson, Defensive End

2019 Stats: 22 tackles, 5.5 TFL’s, 3 sacks, 3 break ups

Jackson would be much higher on this list if not for the high number of mistakes that comes from him being a true freshman, including three penalties and six missed tackles already in five games. But when this young man is playing under control he is impressive.

Jackson is a natural edge player and in many ways reminds me of Notre Dame standout Khalid Kareem. He’s not an explosive athlete, but he shows a good burst and he just has a knack for making plays. Jackson is the one defender on the USC defense that can consistently get after the quarterback on his own.

He was especially effective against Utah, when according to PFF the true freshman racked up four quarterback hurries and four run stops during the upset.

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