USC is the choice for Masina

USC fell to UCLA and Arizona State on the field this past season, but it picked up a major victory over its Pac-12 South Division rivals on the recruiting trail Friday when four-star outside linebacker Osa Masina committed to the Trojans.

The 6-foot-3, 231-pound prospect from Salt Lake City (Utah) Brighton announced his commitment during a ceremony at his school, choosing USC after a long and taxing process.

USC was the appealing choice for Masina, the No. 3-rated outside linebacker in the Rivals100, given his longstanding relationship with the coaches dating back to their days at Washington.

"And once he officially visited USC and was in that atmosphere, he felt good there," Brighton football coach Ryan Bullett said. "What I told him about the process was to go for the school and not necessarily the coaches. I told him to go for the school, because he'll be playing for that school. The coaches come and go, but the school will be there. Osa looked at USC and the NFL players it's producing at linebacker, and USC is a brand name. It's recognizable around the country."

Masina officially visited the Trojans on the weekend of Nov. 28 for the Notre Dame game. He hosted USC coaches for one final in-home visit Wednesday night before his announcement.

Arizona State assistant coach Chip Long checked in with Masina last Thursday when the month-long dead period ended. UCLA assistant Taylor Mazzone was there last Friday, but the Trojans had built an insurmountable lead by then.

"It's been a whole process, not just an exact moment when he knew," said Tamina Masina, Osa's mother. "After he had taken all three official visits, Osa had a good idea which one he liked most. And after the U.S. Army All-American Bowl, he knew where he was going. He bonded with the players he knew would be going to USC. That was exciting for him and when we returned home, he was ready to set an announcement date."

Masina also officially visited UCLA (Oct. 3) and Arizona State (Oct. 17) during the season. The relationships he built with all three of the school's position coaches made this a difficult decision, his mother said.

"He never had a leader," she said. "Osa liked all of them and that was the problem. But coach (Peter) Sirmon truly outlined to him the role he would play, where he would fit in that defense and what he would need to do to get on the field right away. We met with professors every time we went back there for different visits and it seemed like they had a vested interest on every level."

In the end, the networking possibilities at USC played as much of a role as the school's football tradition.

"It was the feel he had when he was there," Bullett said. "It wasn't success related from this last season. I know that didn't have any bearing on it. He's going with his gut and where he feels most comfortable."

Masina could be the first domino to fall for head coach Steve Sarkisian before National Signing Day. The Trojans are also in the running for five-star prospects Iman Marshall, Porter Gustin, John Houston and Rasheem Green as they look to put a few exclamation points on their return to full scholarship allotment.

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