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5 star Linebacker enters the portal: USC LB Palaie Gaoteote (now w/ 90% more inevitable whining over LB recruiting)

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Can’t beg for athletic LBs and hate Bradley Jennings and McCloud and then ask for this dude.

Big thumper that’s very stiff and can really only play downhill. Saw him play a few times last year and once this year and he just can’t cover and gets exposed in today’s offenses.

He’s a slightly more instinctual McCloud type LB. Would've been really good in 2005.
 
Zbrod95 said:
Man if manny doesn’t sprint to this man’s house...
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From the USC reporter:

The former five-star linebacker has played in just two games for the Trojans this year, posting seven tackles. Gaoteote started the Trojans' first two games of the season but suffered a cut on his head in the team's win over Arizona on Nov. 14. He entered USC's concussion protocol the following day and has not suited up for the program in its two games since. At the time, USC head coach Clay Helton also noted Gaoteote had experienced a lower leg contusion in the game with the Wildcats.

One of the Trojans biggest recent recruiting wins, Gaoteote flashed quickly in Los Angeles as a freshman. He started five times that season and ended the year with 38 tackles, 4.5 tackles for loss and a pair of sacks. Gaoteote became of fixture of USC's starting lineup the next year, totaling 58 tackles and three tackles for loss. However, a pair of ankle injuries limited him to just seven starts.

Gaoteote rated as the No. 1 overall inside linebacker and the No. 15 overall prospect in the 2018 class, per the 247Sports Composite. He picked USC over Ohio State.

The 6-foot-2, 250-pound graduate of Bishop Gorman High School in Nevada is currently the highest rated former recruit in the 2020-21 transfer portal.
 
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mjackson6 said:
Can’t beg for athletic LBs and hate Bradley Jennings and McCloud and then ask for this dude.

Big thumper that’s very stiff and can really only play downhill. Saw him play a few times last year and once this year and he just can’t cover and gets exposed in today’s offenses.

He’s a slightly more instinctual McCloud type LB. Would've been really good in 2005.
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He’s 3x the thumper though. If I want a thumper then I want this kid plus you always need a thumper on the depth chart.
 
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gogeta4 said:
Byu bound?. I remember him he could play a bit.

I think all of our lbs return so not sure if that will be a portal need
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Good point; portal QB and CB are definitely a priority, and its seems the staff wants a portal DE as well.
 
Zbrod95 said:
Yes he was
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No, he wasn’t. He’s been pretty pedestrian there. He had a total of 58 tackles last season w/ only 3 being TFL. He’s had a total of 5 TFLs in his entire career. He’s avg. 2 tackles/g this season.

Regardless, we have 0.1% chance of getting this kid. As I’ve told u all here for yrs, The Polynesian community is very close knit. Bishop Gorman connections have chit to do w him coming here. We need coaches who are familiar w that scene, a coach who is Polynesian or another Polynesian kid to be on the team. My guess is he stays out West.
 
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Zbrod95 said:
He’s 3x the thumper though. If I want a thumper then I want this kid plus you always need a thumper on the depth chart.
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He's better than McCloud and Jennings but it's the same style that we just need to get away from in general. 1 wrong step and he's out of the play. Add in that he's been coached pretty poorly at USC from the jump and we don't have anyone capable of correcting that. Flagg, Brooks, Cave, & hopefully Huff are the future at LB.

The flip side is his brother is nasty and can move better (also plays LB) and they could be a package deal. Just not sure who you drop to make that happen.
 
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