Former Notre Dame football commit goes viral for being an imposing giant walking to practice

A former Notre Dame commit went viral yesterday when people marveled over USC offensive lineman Elijah Paige. Although he’s listed at 6-7 and 320 pounds, Paige appears to dwarf everyone around him. That led to some funny memes, WWE references, and a lot of potential nicknames.

For those who don’t follow recruiting, Paige was once committed to the Irish, making his pledge in June of 2022. With little buzz from there, the Arizona native surprised many when he decided to decommit from Notre Dame in September, and open it back up.

Paige didn’t leave that recruitment open for long, taking an official visit to USC in early October and committing a couple days later. After redshirting in his first year with the Trojans, Paige is projected to start at left tackle for the team this fall.

That’s quite the endorsement by USC, who moved All-PAC 12 offensive lineman Jonah Monheim to center. Their reason for doing that on top of Monheim projected more favorably inside on the next level, is to get Paige on the field. The staff is extremely high on him, and wanted to let his talents shine in 2024.

In hindsight, Notre Dame losing Paige was a massive loss - quite literally. With the recent injury to starting left tackle Charles Jagusah , Paige could have at worst been in competition to fill that void. The Irish staff wanted two true offensive tackles in that class, and they fell short once they lost Paige.

Paige was rated as a four-star recruit by all of On3, 247Sports, and Rivals coming out of Phoenix (Ariz.) Pinnacle. He finished ranked highest by Rivals, who had him pegged as the No. 171 overall player, No. 15 offensive tackle, and the No. 3 player in the state of Arizona in the 2023 recruiting class.

Judging by his imposing physique, Paige could become a fan favorite if he performs well during the 2024 college football season. He’s a talented mover, technically sound, and a massive kid. All the tools are there for Paige to flourish this fall.