USC tackle Elijah Vaikona didn’t need a pancake block or a highlight-reel rep to steal the conversation Friday night. One look at him on the broadcast against Fresno State was enough.
The redshirt freshman has the kind of frame that stops viewers in their tracks. Yahoo Sports put it plainly after sharing the clip: “USC’s Elijah Vaikona is a massive human being.”
That barely scratches the surface. Vaikona is listed on USC’s updated roster at 6-foot-8 and 360 pounds, and he has previously weighed as much as 385 pounds. Even among Division I linemen, he stands out immediately.
The viral moment came during USC’s second game of the 2026 season, but Vaikona is more than a social media curiosity. USC views him as a prospect with real long-term value on Lincoln Riley’s offensive line.
Vaikona arrived at USC as a three-star recruit in the 2025 class after starring at Santa Margarita Catholic High School in California. He picked the Trojans over schools including UCLA and Washington, and his size was the first thing scouts latched onto.
“One of the largest humans we’ve ever seen on a football field,” 247Sports national recruiting analyst Greg Biggins wrote in his evaluation of Vaikona.
His first season at USC included appearances in four games, plus nine snaps in the Alamo Bowl. The Trojans also used him in specialized packages built around his massive build.
Now he enters 2026 in a crowded offensive tackle room. USC brings back starters Elijah Paige and Justin Tauanuu and also added Aaron Dunn and Keenyi Pepe, giving the staff plenty of options while Vaikona keeps developing.
That depth should give USC room to be patient. Vaikona still has to sharpen his technique and improve his movement, especially if he’s going to handle Big Ten pass rushers. But the traits you can’t coach are already there in a big way.
At 6-foot-8, he has the length to bother edge defenders before they can get into his chest. At 360 pounds, he has the mass to help in the run game and in short-yardage situations. He also played basketball before football, another clue that his athletic path has always been a little different.
Friday night was a reminder that Vaikona can draw a crowd without even touching the ball. For now, that’s the viral part. The football part could still be coming.
In Other News...
USC Has A Freshman Turning Heads As Young Defenders Step Up
Trent Mosley wasted no time making his presence felt, and for USC that has been one of the brighter early developments of the season. The freshman receiver opened his college career with seven catches for 118 yards and a touchdown against San Jose State, then followed it up with another strong outing the next game, adding multiple touchdowns and drawing notice from teammates and coaches alike.
Mosleys emergence has helped soften some of the attention on a defense that has also been getting useful early contributions from young players. Nickel Kennedy Urlacher, Alex Graham and Jide Abasiri have each shown up in recent games, giving USC signs that some of its younger defenders are beginning to settle in and play meaningful snaps when the Trojans need them most. [Read more 🡒]
USC's Rout Put New Draft Attention On More Than One Trojan
USCs blowout of Fresno State at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum drew more than attention from the scoreboard. NFL scouts from five franchises were in the building, turning a September game into another reminder that the Trojans are still a weekly stop on the pro personnel circuit. With former USC names already scattered across the league, the presence of those evaluators added a little extra weight to a rout that otherwise could have been just another easy win.
The most visible reasons were on the field. Quarterback Jayden Maiava continued to give scouts a look at how he handles an offense under little pressure, while defensive players Jide Abasiri and Kennedy Urlacher also stood out in the kind of game where evaluators are often looking for who keeps competing after the outcome is settled. For USC, the broader takeaway is familiar: when the Trojans play well, the NFL tends to show up, and not just for the obvious headliners. [Read more 🡒]
USC Freshman Is Giving Lincoln Riley A New Receiver Problem
USCs 2-0 start has already included a welcome bonus for Lincoln Riley: a freshman receiver who looks ready for more than a depth-chart cameo. Trent Mosley has been one of the early bright spots for the Trojans, making his presence felt right away with key catches, yardage, and touchdowns that have helped him stand out in the opening weeks of the season.
For Riley, that kind of emergence creates the sort of good problem coaches like to have and opponents hate to solve. Mosleys production has quickly raised expectations for what he can mean in the offense moving forward, and it also adds another layer to a USC passing game that already had enough weapons to keep defenses busy. [Read more 🡒]