USC receives three defensive commits for the Class of 2016

This weekend was awesome in Southern California as the sun came out, the beaches were packed, and it was a beautiful weekend for football. As for the University of Southern California, this weekend was just a little piece of paradise. The Trojans tallied up their 2016 commitment class to 11 as three defensive players chose USC as their future program. Linebacker Jordan Iosefa, defensive end Keanu Saleapaga, and defensive end Liam Jimmons all committed over the weekend to coach Sarkisian and The Men of Troy. With these three recruits’ playmaking abilities, the future should be bright for the Trojans 3-4 scheme.

Defensive end Keanu Saleapaga of La Mirada (Calif.) raised havoc in the backfield at the USC lineman camp this past weekend. Saleapaga spent his birthday terrorizing opposing lineman, winning many of his one-on-one reps. When Keanu finally decided to blow out his candles and open his eyes; he had a scholarship from USC to consider. Instantly the 6’5, 260-pound end accepted the scholarship and gave USC his verbal commitment.

“USC is my dream school and it’s close to home.” Saleapaga stated, and mentioning that he wants his family to be apart of his college experience every step of the way. Keanu held many offers from big time schools, including Arizona State, Boise State, and Oregon State. The southern California native is relieved to finish the recruiting process and focus on his final year before joining the Trojans. Saleapaga is a hard worker that the Trojans coaching staff believes can make a huge impact mentally and physically for the program.

Joining Saleapaga this weekend was linebacker Jordan Iosefa from St. Louis School in Hawaii. The 6’2 220-pound backer grabbed the Trojans’ attention after he dominated drills in the Maximum Exposure camp at the University of Hawaii. Iosefa is a physical player, punishing ball carriers and has a good nose for the ball.

Iosefa is considered quite the mystery since he had to sit out his junior season due to transfer rules from Waipahu to St. Louis. Iosefa silenced the doubters with two MVP performances these past two months, one at the GPA Maximum Experience camp as mentioned earlier and also at the NIKE Opening regional camp at Aloha Stadium. Iosefa posted big time numbers, clocking a 4.86 40-yard dash, 4.30 shuttle, and a 32” vertical jump. Jordan is also is a fine example of a student athlete possessing a 3.6 GPA.

Lastly but definitely not least the Trojans received a verbal commitment from Huntington Beach High product, Liam Jimmons. The Trojan commit is listed at 6’4 240 pounds and dominated the field this past year. Jimmons will fit in the Trojans defensive 3-4 scheme as a defensive end or outside linebacker depending on how much size he adds. The strong side defensive end is under the radar but will add a lot of upside to a Trojans’ defensive line that will be without first round draft pick, Leonard Williams. The Trojans gained Jimmons commitment over schools such as Colorado State, Fresno State, and Nevada who all offered the talented junior. When interviewed, Jimmons mentioned the offer “Was a dream come true to become a Trojan.”