4-star OT Manasse Itete commits to USC Trojans

Modesto (Calif.) Central Catholic four-star offensive tackle Manasse Itete has committed to the USC Trojans. He picked USC over Florida State, Oregon State, Utah and Washington.

The 6-foot-4.5, 289-pounder is the No. 345 overall prospect and No. 24 offensive tackle in the 2024 cycle, according to the On3 Industry Ranking, a weighted average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies. He is also the No. 28 player in California.

On3 rates Itete higher than other recruiting services, according to the Industry Comparison. Per the 2024 On300, he is the No. 195 overall prospect, No. 17 offensive tackle and No. 14 player in California.

“I don’t want to go somewhere where they just care about you because you’re a football player,” Itete previously told On3‘s Chad Simmons in May. “I want to go somewhere that people care about you, first of all, because you’re a human being. They want you to get better, they want you to be successful, they support you on and off the field. That’s the most important thing for me.”

Itete visited USC in early April and returned on June 2 for an official visit. Within a few days of his trip ending, he decided to pledge to head coach Lincoln Riley and his staff.

For more USC recruiting intel, check out WeAreSC.

“USC is coming hard,” Itete told Simmons. “Over the last two months, USC has really come after me hard. Coach Zach Hanson was back at my school this week and he is very interested in me. Since they offered, USC has shown a lot of interest in me and I plan to take an official visit there. We are working on the date.”

Itete is the third player to commit to USC today, alongside Gardena (Calif.) Junipero Serra four-star cornerback Dakoda Fields and Atlanta (Ga.) Washington four-star EDGE Kameryn Fountain. Five players have chosen the Trojans over the past two days in Itete, Fields, Fountain, Clearwater (Fla.) three-star safety Jarvis Boatwright Jr. and Engelwood (Colo.) Cherry Creek three-star interior offensive lineman Hayden Treter. 

Following Itete’s decision, the Trojans’ 2024 recruiting class ranks No. 14 in the 2024 On3 Industry Team Recruiting Rankings and No. 4 in the Big Ten. It contains eight players: Itete, Fields, Fountain, Boatwright Jr., Treter,  Los Angeles (Calif.) Sierra Canyon four-star wide receiver Xavier Jordan, Lake Oswego (Ore.) Lakeridge four-star tight end Joey Olsen and McKinney (Texas) three-star running back Bryan Jackson.