Friday night was one to remember for Serra senior Olajuwon "Boodah" Tucker. This season, Tucker has catapulted himself onto the national recruiting scene by making big play after big play. With the USC coaching staff on the sidelines for the Cavaliers game against Harvard-Westlake, Tucker didn't skip a beat.
"I had a fumble recovery on the first play of the game and had about 10-12 tackles. I also had a pass deflection that led to Dwight's (Williams) pick," Tucker told CLA.
As a result of this game and multiple other dominating performances, USC coach Tee Martin extended an official offer to the 6'4" 230 outside linebacker.
Olajuwon Tucker: Highlights vs Oceanside
Earlier this season, Tucker had a breakout game against Oceanside at the Honor Bowl. Tucker finished the game with 3 interceptions, 3 sacks, 3 tackles for loss, 1 pass deflection and a handful of solo tackles.
I had the chance to speak with Olajuwon Tucker today while he attended a USC Trojans practice session in Los Angeles. Tucker discussed the details of his offer and his overall thoughts about the program.
"I called Tee Martin after the game. USC is most definitely one of my favorite schools. It's almost like home. I'm definitely going to most of, if not all of, the home games now. I'm definitely at the Utah game," Tucker told CLA sports this evening.
Prior to the USC offer, Tucker held officials from the likes of Arizona State, Utah, Miami (FL), Colorado, Washington State and others.
"My dad was really excited about the SC offer. He's trying to make me stay as close to home as possible but he said the decision is ultimately up to me. My mom was really excited too," said Tucker.
Olajuwon Tucker is one of the nation's hottest prospects and has all the natural tools to become a dominant player at the collegiate level. With a rare combination of size, instincts and ability, Tucker can undoubtedly blossom into a future NFL star. It's no wonder USC interim Head Coach Ed Orgeron wants Tucker on his defense.
"I know Coach O… He's a really good dude and great character in the locker room. Hopefully he stays the head coach and that will influence things a lot, actually," Tucker said.
Tucker says that he likes several things about the Southern Cal football program. In particular, he says that the "tradition, location and history" all factor into his attraction to the Trojans.
"It's actually big. A program I've looked up to ever since I was young. I was kinda overwhelmed when I got the (USC) offer," Tucker admits.
The feelings between Olajuwon Tucker and USC are mutual.
"They definitely like my cover skills and my ball instincts. They're trying to keep me at linebacker and get me faster and stronger," said Tucker.
Olajuwon Tucker: Highlights vs Dorsey
It's not easy to standout on a team filled with All-American recruits like Adoree' Jackson, Dwight Williams, John Houston and Rasheem Green on the defensive side of the ball, but Tucker has done just that.
Although USC is admittedly Tucker's favorite school, he still plans to take in the experience of the recruiting process. With offers from some of the nation's top programs on his plate and more on the way, Olajuwon says that he will take several official visits.
"I've only set up one official so far, which is Washington State on November 26th. I'm trying to take as many visits as I can. I'm working on Virginia now, they contacted me. I like Alabama, Florida State, Oregon and Florida," says Tucker.
Tucker would also like to visit Miami (FL) and the Hurricanes were his first official offer.
"I'm definitely trying to take a visit to Miami after the season. I'm trying to go with everyone from the team. Dwight (Williams), Adoree' (Jakcson) and Glen (Ihenacho)," he says.
At the moment, Tucker doesn't hold any official offers from the SEC, but he is still very much interested in the possibility of playing in the conference. The senior OLB is also in contact with Oregon and he says an offer may be on the horizon in the coming weeks.
So far this year, Olajuwon Tucker has 9 sacks, 4 interceptions, 11 tackles for loss, 3 pass deflections, 3 fumbles recoveries and 1 fumble caused. Tucker is also averaging more than 10 tackles per game for the defending CIF State Champion Serra Cavaliers.
Look for more updates on Olajuwon Tucker and other recruits from CLA.
