One USC football recruiting loss won't sting as much as others

You are very probably aware of what happened one week ago: Four-star Class of 2025 prospect Alai Kalaniuvalu from Bishop Gorman High School in Las Vegas chose the Oregon Ducks over USC, Utah, BYU, Michigan, and Nebraska, per On3’s Hayes Fawcett.

He is the 176th-best prospect in his class and is ranked as the ninth-best interior offensive lineman.

With the addition of Kalaniuvalu, the Oregon Ducks move up to the No. 4 spot in terms of the 2025 recruiting class rankings, sitting only behind Ohio State, Alabama, and Georgia. USC was at No. 6 behind Oregon.

Kalaniuvalu’s Bishop Gorman teammate wide receiver Derek Meadows, a five-star recruit and the state’s top-rated prospect, will announce his college commitment Saturday. Notre Dame, Alabama, Georgia, LSU and Michigan are in Meadows’ final five.

Not winning an offensive line recruitment is certainly a tough blow for USC, and we’re not going to ignore that point. However, there’s one detail about this recruitment which shouldn’t go unmentioned: Kalaniuvalu, who is from Provo, Utah, will join Oregon in 2027 after a two-year LDS mission according to 247Sports. The fact that this is a delayed-play situation, in which Oregon won’t benefit from Kalaniuvalu’s talent until well down the line, makes the impact of losing the recruitment a little softer for USC.

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