USC football sees another OL recruiting target choose them over Oregon

USC football has officially gained the commitment of 2023 three-star IOL recruit Alani Noa (all recruiting ratings and rankings are as of 247Sports), who chose USC over Oregon. Noa is the No. 57 IOL recruit in the nation, and the No. 62 California recruit in all of football for the '23 class. This is now the second lineman commit to choose USC over Oregon in the last three weeks.

That other lineman was 2023 four-star IOL Micah Banuelos, who interestingly warned the recruiting trail that he was going after Noa after he committed. While Noa's star rating and player rankings aren't too impressive, it's important to keep all the California lineman at USC.

Besides, every single class in the country for every single school takes three-star lineman that they pick up as projects if they believe in them. It was no secret that USC wanted Noa very much, so that's a good sign in itself. The new coaching staff is one of the best in the country. They know what they're looking for. USC's OL Coach developed the best offensive line in the SEC last year at Texas A&M.

Alani Noa is the 16th commit in USC football's 2023 recruiting class.

Alani Noa is also the fourth O-Line commit for USC football in the class. Beef and depth in the trenches is important, and USC just acquired it. They now have six commits for the trenches in this class, setting up a foundation to where they have the bodies now, and can hopefully then land some big fish once the season starts and they hopefully start winning.

They have the 13th-best class in the nation right now, which isn't great. It's good, though, and worth pointing out that it's the No. 1 class in the Pac-12. Oregon comes in second, just one spot behind SC in the national rankings. That's why Noa's commitment is so important. Only three stars, but it's a three-star recruit that would have helped bolster Oregon's class.

USC had been missing out on the top linemen on the west coast for years before this 2022 class to Oregon, and now they've picked up two offensive linemen in a row over the Ducks. That's a big part of why this commitment means so much, and why it does make a statement. The 6-4, 320 pound IOL isn't undersized, and was necessary for this class.