6-foot-8, 368-pound offensive tackle Elijah Vaikona commits to USC

Elijah Vaikona, the offensive lineman who lives just down the I-5 Freeway at Orange County’s Rancho Santa Margarita High School, chose USC over Jedd Fisch and the Washington Huskies. The impressive 6’8″ frame jumps off the screen immediately when watching his tape.

USC offensive line coach Josh Henson was evidently impressed by Vaikona’s size, extending an offer last month. This contrasts with previous classes’ tackles, such as 6-7, 265-pound Kalolo Ta’aga and 6-7, 270-pound Tobias Raymond, who joined the Trojans in 2023 and 2024, respectively. Raymond has spent a year with USC’s director of sports nutrition, Rachel Suba, and strength and conditioning coach Bennie Wylie. Raymond gained 47 pounds to weigh in at 314 pounds after redshirting his freshman year with the Trojans.

In Lincoln Riley’s offense, tackles and guards must be athletic; they are frequently required to pull. It will be interesting to see Vaikona’s agility and speed on the field against college defenses. It will be more intriguing to see the impact he has on a defense’s second level when he does get there.

Donovan James of Trojans Wire had this to say a few weeks ago when offensive line coach Josh Henson gave Vaikona a late offer:

“USC obviously needs more depth on its offensive line, a point which requires no elaboration, but the notable part of this recruitment and this prospect is that USC will not have to bulk up this particular lineman in a strength and training program. At 6-8 and over 350 pounds, Vaikona would come to USC with the heft and size the Trojans are looking for. Developing agility to go along with the size and length would be the priority if the Trojans can bring him inside the walls of the school.”

Riley and Henson are clearly targeting much bigger linemen such as Amos Talalele, Alani Noa, Hayden Treter, and now Vaikona — offensive linemen who all entered the program north of 320 pounds.

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