Elijah Paige, massive bluechip offensive tackle prospect, commits to USC Trojans

When Pinnacle High School (Arizona) offensive tackle Elijah Paige announced his decommitment from the Notre Dame Fighting Irish last month, the writing was on the way.

It seemed the massive 6-foot-7, 305-pound offensive tackle was destined to become a USC Trojan.

A flurry of recruiting industry predictions soon followed and Paige scheduled an official visit to USC last weekend.

At that point, his decision felt inevitable.

On Monday, it finally came, as Paige announced his decision to become a Trojan:

“USC is a special place,” he told On3. “What they are doing on the field speaks for itself, but the culture that they are building over there is second to none. I see the vision that Coach Riley has and it’s something that I need to be a part of.”

Rated the nation's No. 237 overall prospect and No. 24 offensive tackle, Paige accumulated more than 30 scholarship offers during the recruiting process.

That offer sheet was highlighted by Auburn, Miami, Michigan, Michigan State, Nebraska, Oregon, Penn State, Stanford, Tennessee, Utah, Washington and Wisconsin.

With his commitment, USC's 2023 recruiting class leapfrogs Oregon's for the No. 1 spot in the Pac-12 Conference and the No. 13 spot nationally.