USC Trojans' Biggest Advantage in Recruiting Four-Star Linebacker Toa Satele

The USC Trojans are in the running for four-star linebacker recruit Toa Satele along with the Oregon Ducks and California Golden Bears. The Hawaii native from the class of 2027 spoke to On3's Adam Gorney with an update of where he stands in his recruitment process.

Toa Satele on USC Trojans

USC Trojans Lincoln Riley Recruiting Class of 2027 Linebacker Four Star Recruit Toa Satele Oregon Ducks Cal Golden Bears — Sep 20, 2025; Los Angeles, California, USA; Southern California Trojans head coach Lincoln Riley watches game action against the Michigan State Spartans during the second half at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images | Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images

The relationship that Satele has with USC linebackers coach Rob Ryan and the history of Polynesian players with success as Trojans is a huge boost for the Trojans.

“Coach Rob Ryan is a great coach and he has reached out to me and he’d said he’d take care of me and how much they’d improve me as a player but also as a person,” Satele told On3. “USC is Polynesian built with Troy Polumalu and all those Polynesian greats like Junior Seau. Going into that and taking a look into what they have in store and the culture they bring would take me to the next level.”

Coach Lincoln Riley and the Trojans landed the top recruiting class in 2026 after back to back recruiting classes in 2024 and 2025 that did not crack the top 10. USC also improved on the field this season as they went from having a record of 6-6 in the regular season in 2024 to a record of 9-3 in 2025. The Trojans have a chance to finish the year with 10 wins in the Alamo Bowl against TCU.

USC will look to keep its momentum going forward on the recruiting trail in 2027. Landing Satele would be a good start, however it won’t be without some tough competition.

Oregon is consistently a top recruiting program with coach Dan Lanning at the helm, and it would be hard to imagine them falling off that pace in 2027. Oregon’s 2026 class was ranked No. 3 in the country per 247Sports behind the No. 1 Trojans and No. 2 Alabama Crimson Tide.

Then there is Cal. The Golden Bears have not recruited at the level that USC and Oregon have but that could begin to change with the hiring of Tosh Lupoi as head coach. Lupoi has been Oregon’s defensive coordinator since 2022 and will be all in with the Bears once his Oregon duties conclude at the end of the College Football Playoff. Lupoi’s defenses in Eugene have been elite and he will try to bring that over to Berkeley.

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Toa Satele Player Profile

Toa Satele is a 6-3, 200 pound linebacker out of Mililani, Hawaii. He is a rated as a four-star recruit and ranked as the No. 3 linebacker in the class of 2027 per 247Sports Composite rankings.

The Trojans have the advantage of distance on their side, but it appears as though Satele is focusing on the West Coast in his recruitment.