His climb to that point had been steady, his trajectory as USC’s left-tackle-in-waiting still trending upward as planned, when near the midway mark of his freshman season, Elijah Paige seemed to hit a wall. Days melded together without much improvement. It wasn’t entirely uncommon for players his age, still getting used to this caliber of college football. But in Paige’s case, coaches wondered if it was more a matter of mettle.
“We were a little frustrated,” USC offensive line coach Josh Henson said. “We felt like he got to a certain spot, and then he just kind of plateaued.