Kyle Whittingham and Michigan's staff hit a major snag in the pursuit of ‌talented linebacker Josiah Poyer.

The California native will now attend the University of Southern California, which is nine miles away from where he resides in Bellflower, CA. 

The linebacker gave quite an odd reason for committing to the Trojans. Poyer said, “He’s a funny guy, so he always makes me laugh,” regarding Aaron Amaama, the Director of High School Recruiting Relations at the USC.

one of the big reasons why the linebacker picked USC. 

Poyer further added, “He has a strong connection with my dad as well, so they’ve been making jokes and stuff. Just seeing that, it caught my eye. I look at Coach Dogg (Aaron Amaama) like an older brother.”

For Whittingham, they lose out on a stellar recruit who remains in state and will play football at USC. Last season, Jimmy Rodler was the best performer with only 73 tackles and a couple of sacks.

They needed his services to improve their defense, but Poyer had other ideas. He is of Polynesian descent, and it all starts to add up with Aaron Amaama, specializing in Polynesian recruiting pipeline development. 

“Just the short time I’ve known him, he’s always checking up on me, and he’s making sure I’m good, and it’s just the love he showed to me is the reason why I committed there, too,” said Poyer. 

The 6'1, 225-lb linebacker from powerhouse St. John Bosco exploded for 54 tackles, 10 TFL, and 7 sacks in his 2025 junior season in the elite Trinity League.

Looking at his talent, many teams were after him.

Which Was Another Team That Went all in for Josiah Poyer? 

Michigan and USC were not the only teams interested in the talented linebacker. Other schools like Ohio State, Texas Tech, Penn State, and Arizona State were all interested in the defender. 

However, there was one school that went hard for Poyer, and that is The Fighting Irish. Notre Dame was in the lead in acquiring Poyer, given that Poyer’s cousin brother Kyngstonn Viliamu-Asa, also plays for the Fighting Irish. 

“I was talking to Notre Dame a lot when they offered me,” Poyer said. “I was learning more toward Notre Dame because they produce a lot of good linebackers, one of my cousins is over there, Kyngstonn…”

Poyer further added, “In January, Notre Dame had my eye, and I was leaning more toward Notre Dame.” But he ended up not joining them.

How do you see Poyer's move to USC Trojans? Let us know in the comments!

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Written by

Samvruth Raj

Edited by

Kalp Thaker