USC Trojans Recruiting 2025 3-Star AJ Tuitele, Granted Release From Washington State

The USC Trojans are making a strong push for 2025 Las Vegas (NV) Mojave three-star linebacker AJ Tuitele after he was granted a release from Washington State. USC finished the 2025 recruiting cycle with the No. 14 ranked class, per the On3 Industry Rankings.
Las Vegas (NV) Mojave 2025 linebacker AJ Tuitele / Instagram
Las Vegas (NV) Mojave 2025 linebacker AJ Tuitele / Instagram / @atuitele_07

The USC Trojans signed 21 high school recruits in the 2025 cycle, headlined by five-star quarterback Husan Longstreet and defensive lineman Jahkeem Stewart. USC has the No. 14 ranked recruiting class, per the On3 Industry Rankings but the Trojans may not be done adding to their incoming class.

The Trojans extended a late offer to 2025 Las Vegas (NV) Mojave three-star linebacker AJ Tuitele last week. Tuitele had signed with Washington State but was granted a release from his signing after the Cougars staff left for Wake Forest. The Las Vegas native stuffed the stat sheet during his senior campaign, registering 196 total tackles, including 39 for loss, nine passes defended, five sacks and two forced fumbles.

Las Vegas (NV) Mojave 2025 linebacker AJ Tuitele
Las Vegas (NV) Mojave 2025 linebacker AJ Tuitele / Instagram / @atuitele_07

USC signed only one linebacker in this class, San Clemente (CA) four-star Matai Tagoa'i after Seminole Ridge (FL) four-star Ty Jackson decommitted a week before the early signing period, Buford (GA) four-star Jadon Perlotte flipped to Tennessee the day the early signing period began, and the Trojans lost the recruiting battle for JSerra Catholic (CA) four-star Madden Faraimo to rival Notre Dame.

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Linebacker was considered an area of need for the Trojans with seniors Easton Mascarenas-Arnold and Mason Cobb moving onto the NFL after exhausting their eligibility. With USC very thin at linebacker in 2024, Mascarenas-Arnold and Cobb played a majority of the snaps. Eric Gentry will return in 2025 after missing most of the season when he sustained a series of concussions in the first month of the season. He did return for the Trojans bowl game against Texas A&M.

Desman Stephens II continued to progress throughout his freshman campaign and played a season-high 29 snaps in the Las Vegas Bowl. Former USC linebacker coach Matt Entz raved about Stephens' potential in December.

"You're talking about a big, long, rangy athlete," Entz said. "A young man that played safety in high school, still possesses some of those movement skills but has put 20 pounds on now and so he's pushing 235, 240 probably after Thanksgiving, closer to 240 maybe. Glass ceiling right now, don't know where he can be. I'm excited, I love his approach for a young guy.

Desman Stephens II
Oct 12, 2024; Los Angeles, California, USA; USC Trojans linebacker Desman Stephens II (23) runs the ball after an interception in the first half against the Penn State Nittany Lions at United Airlines Field at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images / Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

"He's all about the notes, he shows them to me, he has an iPad full of them every week. The little things are big to him and when you have an 18-year-old who's willing to detail his work like Des is right now it just makes you smile, it makes you appreciative that there's still those type of kids out there and they need to be at USC," Entz continued.

Elijah Newby is also expected to have a larger role in 2025. Newby was the No. 9 linebacker and No. 153 overall prospect in the 2024 recruiting cycle, per the On3 Industry Rankings. Adding Tuitele would give the Trojans some necessary depth in the linebacker room.

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Kendell Hollowell
KENDELL HOLLOWELL

Kendell Hollowell, a Southern California native has been been covering collegiate athletics since 2020 via radio and digital journalism. His experience includes covering programs such as the USC Trojans, Vanderbilt Commodores and Alabama Crimson Tide. Kendell He also works in TV production for the NFL Network. Prior to working in sports journalism, Kendell was a collegiate athlete on the University of Wyoming and Adams State football team. He is committed to bringing in-depth insight and analysis for USC athletics.