Palaie Gaoteote Commits to USC’s 2018 Recruiting Class

The 2018 USC football recruiting class added a major piece as five-star linebacker Palaie Gaoteote committed to the Trojans.

Five-star linebacker Palaie Gaoteote announced his commitment to USC football on Sunday afternoon, giving the Trojans another marquee addition for the 2018 class.

“After discussing with my family, I am excited to announce that I am committing to further my education and play football for the University of Southern California — USC!!!” Gaoteote wrote on Twitter.

“I look forward to finishing my senior year with my Bishop Gorman brothers; defending both our state and national championships; then moving on to join my new family — the USC Trojans!!! Fight On!!!”

Gaoteote is one of the nation’s top overall prospects. He ranks as the No. 1 outside linebacker for the class of 2018 and checks in as the No. 14 player in the country, per the 247 Sports composite rankings.

Hailing from Bishop Gorman in Las Vegas, the 6-foot-2, 230 pound defender is a disruptive force at linebacker. Just watch his highlight reel, which might be the most impressive you’ll ever see for a junior linebacker.

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How big of a get is Gaoteote? Not since Chris Galippo in 2007 have they signed a linebacker as highly rated, and he could be the most Day 1 ready prospect at linebacker since Rey Maualuga in 2005.

With him committed, USC’s 2018 recruiting class has six committed players, including three linebackers. Gaeteote joins four-star Narbonne linebacker Raymond Scott and four-star Oaks Christian product Bo Calvert.

RELATED: Grading Every USC Recruiting Class Since 2002

He is the second five-star commit for the Trojans class in 2018, along with five-star quarterback Matt Corral.