USC Football: Four-Star OL Prospect Expresses USC Admiration and Deep Family School Ties

Could the Trojans be able to keep the star OL in Southern California?

The USC Trojans are no strangers to dominating in the great Los Angeles area, and that includes the likes of Orange County. Many great players have hailed from the OC to come and play ball in Southern California.

The pipeline from great high school programs down there to USC has been well documented, and they're looking to keep that tradition alive with many other top prospects in the future. 

One prospect the Trojans have their eyes on is a four-star offensive tackle from Orange Lutheran, Sam Utu. Utu is in his sophomore season of high school, but he's already garnered a lot of attention from 18 schools, including the Trojans. USC was the first to make him an offer back in January. 

Utu still has a ton of time to make his decision, but it's possible the Trojans may have an edge due to his admiration of the school, as he grew up a fan of SC and has family ties as well.

“That was a dream school for sure,” Utu said. “I have a lot of family connections there. I have a cousin (Mia Tuaniga) who’s the starting setter on the women’s volleyball team right now.

“I have an uncle (Junior Utu) who played football and volleyball there and another cousin (Keao Burdine) who won back to back national championships in volleyball in 2002 and 2003 so I have some strong family ties for sure.”

(via 247Sports)

The connections are there, and he's close to home, so we'll see how USC uses that to their advantage. 

Sam is a mammoth of a man standing at 6'4", 295 pounds, and also has a volleyball background similar to his uncle. 

No visits have been scheduled as of late, but hopefully, they're on their way soon so the Trojans can work their charm and bolster their offensive line for the future.