USC Offensive Lineman Elijah Vaikona Opens Up About Santa Margarita Recruits

There are numerous high schools within a 60-mile radius of the USC Trojans campus that are filled Power Four talent.

One of which is Santa Margarita (Calif.), who is coached by former USC Heisman Trophy winning quarterback and No. 1 overall pick Carson Palmer.

Stacking Elite Talent from Santa Margarita

USC Trojans Lincoln Riley Santa Margarita Recruiting St. John Bosco Mater Dei Danny Lang Heisman Trinity League Recruit — Sep 3, 2022; Los Angeles, California, USA; Southern California Trojans head coach Lincoln Riley reacts in the second half against the Rice Owls at United Airlines Field at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

In his first season at the helm, Palmer shifted the hierarchy in the Trinity League and guided his alma mater to an CIF Southern Section Division I Championship and Open Division state championship and he did it with three USC freshmen.

Receiver Trent Mosley, defensive end Simote Katoanga, who transferred to Santa Margarita for his senior year, and cornerback Jayden Crowder are all taking part in spring practice. Redshirt freshman offensive tackle Elijah Vaikona, who also comes from the premier school in Orange County, spoke about having the three freshmen on campus.

“It's awesome. I didn't necessarily get to go to school with Mote when I was at SM but I knew him,” Vaikona said. “We were both Orange County kids. Played against them. I train with them all the time, but it's great. I get to help those guys come in and just familiar faces.”

Redshirt senior center Kilian O’Connor was a three-year starter for Santa Margarita and joined USC as a walk-on. He earned a scholarship last winter and earned the starting center job coming out of fall camp this past season.

The Trojans also hold a commitment from Santa Margarita (Calif.) three-star defensive lineman Isaia Vandermade, the son of former USC offensive lineman Lenny Vandermade, in the 2027 class. And USC has started to make some moves on 2028 recruits from the Trinity League power.

Trinity League to USC Pipeline

USC has begun to load its roster with elite players from the prestigious Trinity League conference. Six elite private schools that are located an hour from campus.

The Trojans restored its pipeline with Mater Dei (Calif.) in the 2026 cycle when they signed four blue-chip recruits in tight end Mark Bowman, receiver Kayden Dixon-Wyatt, defensive lineman Tomuhini Topui and linebacker Shaun Scott.

USC landed a commitment from Mater Dei 2027 four-star cornerback Danny Lang on Wednesday and IMG Academy (Fla.) four-star cornerback commit Aaryn Washington, who was their first commit in the class, previously suited up for the Monarchs before transferring earlier this year.

Freshman linebacker Talanoa Ili started at Orange Lutheran (Calif.) for three seasons before he played his senior year on the islands. Washington transfer linebacker Deven Bryant played at St. John Bosco (Calif.) and decided to come home.

“It feels good. Coming out high school I didn’t have the offer," Bryant said. "So being able to get the offer out of the portal feels good. Come back home and showcase my talent.”

Bryant played alongside redshirt sophomore cornerback Marcelles Williams in high school. They were part of a Bosco team that finished as the No. 1 team in high school football in 2022. Freshman defensive back Joshua Holland also comes from the national powerhouse in Bellflower.

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