USC rises in On3 Consensus Team Recruiting Rankings

USC had as hot of a start to the 2023 class as any program, rising to No. 1 in the early On3 Consensus Team Recruiting Rankings.

The Trojans landed a pair of Five-Star Plus+ commits before the new year with wide receiver Zachariah Branch and quarterback Malachi Nelson. As other teams started to bolster their own commit lists though, the Trojans fell back a bit in the rankings, dropping to as low as No. 14.

But with the commitment of four-star Phoenix (Ariz.) Pinnacle offensive tackle Elijah Paige, USC is back on the upswing again. Following Paige’s announcement Monday night, the Trojans moved up one spot past Tennessee to No. 13 in the latest rankings. Penn State (No. 12) and Oregon (No. 11) are just .16 points ahead now.

The 6-foot-6, 307-pound Paige is the No. 352 overall prospect in the 2023 class, according to the On3 Consensus, a complete and equally weighted industry-generated average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies. He ranks as the nation’s No. 23 offensive tackle and the No. 7 senior recruit in the state of Arizona.

He is also the Trojans’ fifth offensive line commit this cycle, joining On3 four-star Amos Talalele and three-stars Micah Banuelos, Alani Noa and Tobias Raymond. Of the Trojans’ 19 current commitments, 12 are expected to play on the offensive side of the ball at the college level.