3-star IOL Makai Saina commits to USC Trojans

Martin (Arlington, Texas) three-star interior offensive lineman Makai Saina has announced his commitment to the USC Trojans.

Saina is the No. 414 overall prospect and No. 29 interior offensive lineman according to the On3 Industry Ranking, a weighted average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies. He is also the No. 69 player in Texas.

The 6-foot-5, 285-pounder took an official visit to Los Angeles the weekend of June 16.

The trip was bookended by official visits in his home state to Texas A&M and Texas. Saina also took unofficial visits to USC, Texas and Nebraska this spring. His other notable offers include Georgia, Michigan, Penn State and Oregon.

Saina currently has an On3 NIL Valuation of $23K. The On3 NIL Valuation is the industry’s leading index that sets high school and college athletes’ projected annual value (PAV). The NIL valuation does not act as a tracker of the value of NIL deals an athlete has completed to date. It rather signifies an athlete’s value at a certain moment in time.

For more USC recruiting intel, check out WeAreSC.

Lincoln Riley assembling top-10 class

After a bit of a slow start to the cycle, Lincoln Riley and his staff have been on a roll recruiting-wise. USC currently has the No. 5 class in the country.

Saina’s pledge to USC was the second of the day for the Trojans. West Hills (Calif.) Chaminade four-star safety Marquis Gallegos announced his commitment a few hours prior to Saina.

Between those two pledges, USC’s up its total of 2024 pledges to 15. Of those 15, 11 have come this month.

Millikan (Long Beach, Calif.) wide receiver Ryan Pellum was the most recent recruit to pledge to the Trojans before Gallegos and Saina.

He joined a group that consists of five top-100 prospects. St. John Bosco (Bellflower, Calif.) cornerback Marcelles Williams, Sierra Canyon (Los Angeles, Calif.) wide receiver Xavier Jordan, Junipero Serra (Gardena, Calif.) cornerback Dakoda Fields and Clearwater Academy International (Clearwater, Fla.) interior offensive lineman Jason Zandamela all joined the class this spring.

Saina is the fourth offensive lineman to join the Trojans class that aims to finish in the top 10 nationally for the second consecutive year. USC currently ranks No. 3 behind Ohio State and Michigan for the 2024 cycle. The Trojans will move to the Big Ten Conference for the 2024 season.