There’s a certain level of trust colleges afford recruits when they allow them into their locker rooms — especially when it comes to respecting the property of the players who leave their personal items in there.
In the case of superstar USC wide receiver Ja’Kobi Lane, that trust may have been violated.
Lane went on social media to accuse 3-star wide ecruit Brawley Tuitupou of stealing out of his locker during a visit with a post that included a screenshot of Tuitupou’s Instagram account along with a screenshot of Tuitupou’s IG stories featuring a coterie of USC football gear.
“This kid stole my cleats and a bunch of stuff from the sc locker room,” Lane wrote on X on Monday. “All yall kids out there just know this is simply unacceptable.”
The screenshot Lane posted of Tuitupou’s account featuring the USC items appears to be from 5 weeks ago.
Lane is projected as a 3rd round pick in the 2026 NFL draft.
Tuitupou’s 247Sports profile doesn’t list USC among teams that have offered him a scholarship — he’s currently a junior at Mountain View High School in Orem, Utah, with his position listed as Athlete.
“Former USC WR Ja’Kobi Lane exposed a recruit for stealing from his USC Locker,” Sleeper CFB wrote on its official X account. “Wild … “
“TRENDING: USC star WR Ja’Kobi Lane EXPOSED 3-star recruit Brawley Tuitupou for stealing his cleats and gear from his locker during a visit,” NFL influencer Dov Kleiman wrote on their official X account.
Tuitupou Has Over 2 Dozen Scholarship Offers
Tuitupou, 6-foot-4 and 175 pounds, currently has a reported 25 scholarship offers, including 18 offers from Power Four Schools.
College Football Playoff semifinalist Ole Miss, offered Tuitupou a scholarship on January 18. Penn State and Florida have also made recent offers.
Tuitupou’s last offer came from Nevada on February 20.
A representative listed on Tuitupou’s Instagram account for “Business Inquiries” did not reply to an e-mail asking for comment on the accusations from Lane.
Lane Projected as 3rd Round Pick in NFL Draft
Lane’s entered the 2025 season as a projected 1st round pick. The Athletic’s latest mock draft now has him going to the Denver Broncos in the 3rd round (No. 94 overall).
The 6-foot-4, 195-pound Arizona native put up 43 receptions for 525 yards and 12 touchdowns in 2024. He followed that up in 2025 with 49 receptions for 745 yards and 4 touchdowns on the way to being named All-Big Ten.
“Ja’Kobi Lane is a prototypical X-receiver with outstanding ball skills to dominate the catch point, similar to Dallas Cowboys receiver George Pickens,” Bleacher Report’s Damian Parson wrote in his pre-draft evaluation. “Lane is equipped with the frame and wingspan to thrive as a high-point specialist in the NFL. Lane is a former 4-star recruit in the 2023 class. He is coming off his best season of college football in 2025. Lane has never eclipsed 800 yards receiving in a single season.”
Lane was surpassed by teammate Makai Lemon (79 receptions, 1,156 yards, 11 touchdowns) in 2025, with Lemon now projected as a 1st round recruit after winning the Biletnikoff Award as college football’s best wide receiver.
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