USC a big contender for legacy Jaxson Moi, but so is Stanford

It's difficult for Californian athletes to get noticed right now. Jaxson Moi has not played a football game in more than a year but the Cathedral Catholic (San Diego), defensive lineman recently received a number of offers because his physical abilities project very well for college.

His most recent offer is from USC, where his father played, and the one before that was from Stanford. Cal and Oregon have also offered and are top schools for the 4.2 GPA student-athlete.

"I am EXTREMELY interested in Stanford," Moi wrote in a direct message to Cardinal Sports Report. "I’ve been in contact with Stanford for about two months (as of Friday).

"They have so many opportunities you can pursue, whether it be in the work field, or possibly a shot at the NFL. I’ve been talking to Coach (Lance) Anderson and Coach (Diron) Reynolds the most."

Cathedral Catholic is a pipeline school for Stanford in general and the football program has welcomed a number of its former athletes: Casey Toohill, Tyler Gaffney, Jake Lynch, and current walk-on Logan Berzins.

Moi's connection to USC and his comfort level with the school could give the Trojans a leg up in the competition for his commitment, but Moi pushed back on that assumption in a conversation with Adam Gorney.

“Growing up, my dad played at USC so that was my childhood dream school,” Moi said. “I always said, ‘I’m a USC fan and one day I’m going to grow up and go to USC.’ Now that I’m older and now that I’ve been exposed to more colleges, I’m going to make my decision based on what’s best for me, not what my dad did.

“My dad supported me for that. He said he wants me to choose what school truly fits me and he said to not go to a school just because he went there or someone I know went there. He supports me no matter where I go.”

Moi and his teammates are scheduled to kick off their season March 12.