USC offensive lineman Abe Markowitz

2012: Markowitz will serve as a backup center as a senior in 2012.

2011: Markowitz, who was set to compete for playing time at center as a junior in 2011, did not play in USC's first 3 games of 2011, then had season-ending foot surgery. He missed 2011 spring practice after having foot surgery prior to spring drills.

2010: Markowitz, a one-time walk-on who earned a scholarship in the fall of 2010, was a backup center as a sophomore in 2010, but he did not see any action. He missed USC's first 7 games of 2010 with a foot injury and was sidelined the rest of the season with a foot fracture.

2009: Markowitz played briefly in the San Jose State opener in 2009 as a redshirt freshman center.

2008: Markowitz redshirted in 2008 as a first-year walk-on freshman center.

TRACK: He also is a shotputter on USC's track team. His best throw of 2010 was a career-best 53-11. He was 13th in the shot put at the 2010 Pac-10 Championships (52-5 ½). He practiced with the USC track team in 2009, but did not compete.

HIGH SCHOOL: He made 2007 Super Prep All-Farwest, Honolulu Star-Bulletin All-State honorable mention and Honolulu Advertiser All-Interscholastic League of Honolulu honorable mention as a senior offensive and defensive lineman at Punahou High in Honolulu (Hi.).

He also was on Punahou's track team, winning the 2008 ILH shot put and discus championships while placing second in both events in the 2008 state meet.

PERSONAL: He is a public policy, management and planning major at USC. He was born in New Zealand and lived in Western Samoa until he was 4 years old. He is a member of one of Samoa's royal families, the Aiga Sa Malietoa, and he was selected as a "High Talking Chief" of the family. He also is a cousin of the King of Tonga. He was a vocal soloist and Samoan dancer at Punahou. He enjoys photography. His grandfather, Larry, played football at USC in the early 1950s, while his cousin is former USC offensive lineman Faaesea Mailo (1996, 1999-2002) and his distant cousins include former (2005-08) Trojan and current NFL linebackers Rey Maualuga and Kaluka Maiava. His father, Barry, lettered as a linebacker at UCLA in 1974, his great grandfather, Richard Love, played basketball and tennis at UCLA in the 1920s and his other cousins include former UCLA and Kansas City Chiefs linebacker Frank Manumaleuga, ex-Arizona and NFL (St. Louis Rams, San Diego Chargers, Chicago Bears) tight end Brandon Manumaleuna, former Hawaii and San Francisco 49er offensive lineman Jesse Sapolu, former Colorado offensive guard Maxwell Tuioti-Mariner, Kansas State sophomore offensive lineman Tomasi Tuioti-Mariner and BYU sophomore defensive tackle Travis Tuiloma.