Clay Helton calls USC TE Michael Trigg 'a creature' after viral video

USC freshman tight end Michael Trigg went viral on Wednesday after an impressive catch and run in practice, breaking multiple tackles.

Beastmode. @mtrigg_23#FightOn ✌️ pic.twitter.com/jO7w9w0zdq

— USC Football (@USC_FB) August 18, 2021

USC head coach Clay Helton called Trigg a “creature” on Sportscenter in an interview.

“I don’t know if he’s a human, I’ve been calling him a creature for the last week,” Helton said. “He’s really a talented freshman that comes to us from Tampa, Florida. Came all the way out here to USC and really has had a nice sense of urgency of wanting to get on the field…as you can see.

Helton added that they showed the clip in a team meeting to teach a lesson to the younger defensive players about fundamentals of tackling.

“We actually showed this clip in a team meeting the other day and the amount of opportunities he made to create extra yards against some other freshmen he was going against — It was a tremendous learning lesson for our young people about ‘you better use your fundamentals of tackling’ because there are creatures like this all over the place in college football.”

Trigg has made waves through fall camp beyond the viral play. In media availability this week, USC quarterback Kedon Slovis highlighted Michael Trigg among other tight ends, Trigg was the only freshman mentioned.

“We have a lot of depth at the position,” Slovis said. “Which is super nice and I think of all the guys from EK (Erik Krommenhoek), to (Josh) Falo, to (Michael) Trigg and Jude (Wolfe), I don’t really feel any drop off for many of them…obviously the newer guys trying to learn stuff, like Trigg, but in terms of talent levels I think they’re all very talented.”

Trigg could contribute as soon as this season for the Trojans as Slovis expects the tight ends will be more involved in the passing game this season. Trigg’s athleticism and run after the catch ability could be valuable in allowing him to see the field early.

As a recruit, Michael Trigg was a four-star prospect from Carrollwood Day in the 2021 class. As a junior at Seffner Christian Academy, Trigg caught 82 passes for 1,232 yards and 16 touchdowns. On the defensive side of the ball, Trigg had 24.5 tackles for loss and 11 sacks as a junior. Trigg starred in basketball, averaging 22.6 points per game as a junior. 

Michael Trigg committed to USC over 48 other offers including Alabama, LSU and South Carolina. He joined three-star Lake McRee as USC’s second tight end in the 2021 class. The Trojans also landed former Texas tight end Malcolm Epps in the transfer portal in the offseason.