USC OL Paige Named Midseason First-Team All-American

Elijah Paige, the outstanding left tackle at USC, has been named a Midseason First Team All-American by The Athletic.

At 6-foot-7, 315 pounds, Paige is the anchor for a talented Trojans offensive line that has also earned a spot on the Joe Moore Award Honor Roll.

The Joe Moore Award is given to the top offensive line in college football.

Paige has allowed zero sacks this season and only three quarterback pressures in 202 pass-blocking snaps.

According to Pro Football Focus (PFF), Paige is ranked No. 2 among all Power Four conference offensive linemen with an overall grade of 85.7, and No. 3 with a pass-blocking grade of 81.0.

Paige leads the Big Ten Conference with his 85.7 overall grade. Further, he ranks No. 2 with a pass-blocking grade of 90.7, and No. 5 with a run-blocking grade of 81.0.

As a unit, Paige and his teammates have opened the running lanes for several running backs to score 12 touchdowns this season.

Behind Paige, the Trojans have rushed for over 100 yards and scored at least one rushing touchdown in every game this season.

The USC offensive line has formed a wall around quarterback Jayden Maiava and the rest of the talented backfield for the Trojans.

The Trojans average 310 passing yards and 152 rushing yards per game.

Further, the Trojans average 36.4 points per game, and leads the nation in first downs on offense with 177.

Paige and his brothers have allowed just seven sacks so far this season.

Maiava leads the Big Ten in passing yards (2,045) and passing yards per game (292). With 18 touchdown passes, he ranks second in the conference.

USC (6-1) is coming off a bye week and is preparing for their road battle with the Wisconsin Badgers (4-2) on Saturday night.

The Trojans are playing good, complimentary football on both sides of the ball. Their 2026 recruiting class has paid off, with several true freshmen earning significant playing time.

USC is currently on a two-game winning streak.

While it will be a tough environment at Wisconsin, The Trojans should be victorious against the Badgers.

More importantly, USC is undefeated on the road this season, with wins over Rutgers and Penn State.

The second half of the season will be crucial for the Trojans. Over their final five games, USC will play three teams currently ranked in the top ten.

Winning those games against Ohio State, Indiana and UCLA would cement USC as a Big Ten title contender and earn the Trojans a College Football Playoff berth.