Tahj Washington partners with LA Victoria to give back to USC food pantry

For the past two years, Tahj Washington has finished as the second-leading USC receiver.

Backing up two future first-round picks, there wasn’t any questioning how skilled Washington was. But this season he’s shown the nation why he’s capable of being WR1.

Washington has 30 catches for 609 yards and five touchdowns through eight games. Dependable, too, he’s developed into Caleb Williams’ go-to target.

The receiver is impressive off the field, too. A passionate cook, much of his time in NIL has been spent working with brands in the cooking space, whether it be putting on his picnic for his hometown or working with Chef Merito Seasonings.

But now, he can marry his on-field play with his love for cooking. Through a new partnership with LA Victoria, every time Washington does his salsa dance when he has a big play for USC, 16 pounds of food will go to the Trojan food pantry. The pantry addresses food insecurity on campus and provides temporary relief to those experiencing food emergencies. 

A salsa brand that’s been a staple in Los Angeles for more than 100 years, LA Victoria is working with Washington to bring food awareness and support the diversity of LA. He will also be showing off his cooking skills in social media posts, infusing his Southern style of cooking with Spanish-inspired meals.

Jaster Athletes facilitated the partnership.

“He’s one of the most unselfish players I’ve ever coached,” USC head coach Lincoln Riley said earlier this season. “He just comes to work every single day. He’s really competitive. There’s no job too big and no job too small. He’s just tremendous, he’s a great special teams player and a great blocker. Really focused.

“He’s really worked hard at his craft. There was a laundry list of things when we got here evaluating that we knew he needed to improve on quickly. We laid those out for him in the plan and he just takes it and runs with it.”

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Tahj Washington ₁₆ (@tahj_washington)

Tahj Washington’s growing NIL brand

Tahj Washington has been a winner in the NIL Era, working with a lengthy list of brands including the South Bay Athletic Club, Clean Energy, GOAT Fuel, Rock & Reilly’s USC and Honey Stinger. During the football season, he runs his own vlog called No Huddle Kitchen. This year it’s being sponsored by Hello Fresh.

The USC wide receiver has a $294,000 On3 NIL Valuation, ranking No. 241 in college football.

About On3 NIL Valuation, Brand Value, Roster Value

The On3 NIL Valuation is the industry’s leading index that sets the standard market NIL value for high school and college athletes. A proprietary algorithm, the On3 NIL Valuation calculates an athlete’s NIL value using dynamic data points targeting three primary categories: performance, influence and exposure.