USC offer huge for Malepeai

Three-star running back Vavae Malepeai doesn't appear close to narrowing down his options, in large part because more schools are joining the conversation.

The 6-foot, 190-pound prospect from Mililani, Hawaii, added an offer from USC on Monday and he admitted it's a big one that will only make his college decision more difficult.

"It's a huge offer just like every other offers," Malepeai said. "I'm thankful and blessed. It's USC, and based on history and tradition, I know it would be great to be a Trojan.

"I talked to coach (Johnny) Nansen and then he passed the phone to coach (Steve) Sarkisian and he made it official. They told me they love how I run routes out of the backfield and how I change direction. Coach Nansen visited me a couple weeks back and has been showing a lot of interest."

The Trojans instantly became a top suitor for the island's No. 2-rated prospect. Malepeai said he really wants to visit the California schools, especially after a very successful trip to Stanford this past weekend on a swing through the Bay Area.

There are a few others high on Malepeai's list as he mulls potential official visits.

"Nothing is set yet, but right now I definitely want to go out to Michigan, Stanford and Washington, since they're recruiting me hard," Maleapeai said. "UCLA is another school I want to check out. Coach (Kennedy) Polamalu is great and I know he's coached some big-time backs already. He came out to check out our practice last week, so that means a lot that he made the trip all the way to see me."

Maleapeai, though, has no timeframe for those official visits. He wants to them to correlate well to his own football schedule.

"I'm focusing on the upcoming season, so I haven't been giving it too much thought," Malepeai said. "I'm focused on winning the state championship and then I could probably concentrate on recruiting."

Malepeai had 1,337 rushing yards and 24 touchdowns as a junior last fall, guiding high-octane Mililani to a state title.