5-Star Recruit Honor Fa'alave-Johnson Makes Announcement With Oregon, USC, Texas

Five-star safety recruit Honor Fa'alave-Johnson has made an announcement about his commitment between Oregon, Texas, Miami, USC, LSU and Notre Dame.

oregon ducks dan lanning recruiting honor fa'alave-johnson safety commit usc trojans texas longhorns five star miami lsu | oregon ducks on si Jake Bunn

The nation's No. 1 athlete and five-star safety recruit Honor Fa'alave-Johnson has made an announcement about his commitment between Oregon, Texas, Miami, USC, LSU and Notre Dame.

The highly-touted recruit has made his decision between his six finalist schools and will announce his commitment live on the CBS Sports College Football YouTube at 12 p.m. PT on Saturday, March 14, per his Instagram.

Oregon head coach Dan Lanning walks the field as the Oregon Ducks practice on Jan. 5, 2025, at the Moshofsky Center in Eugene, Oregon, ahead of the Peach Bowl. | Ben Lonergan/The Register-Guard / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Oregon's Standing In 5-Star Honor Fa'alave-Johnson's Recruitment

USC is considered to be the frontrunner to land the California-native's commitment but the Ducks were early favorites.

Oregon coach Dan Lanning has yet to secure a five-star commitment from the 2027 recruiting class. That could soon change if the two-way star from San Diego Cathedral Catholic picks the Ducks.

The timing of his announcement is somewhat surprising, given that he had spring visits scheduled to eight different schools, including a March 14 trip to Eugene to see the Ducks. However, in an interview with Rivals, Fa'alave-Johnson said the program he plans to commit to asked him to shut down his recruitment, which likely explains why those remaining visits will not happen.

“The school wants me to shut it down, that was part of the deal, so I’m probably going to shut it down," Fa'alave-Johnson told Rivals.

Currently, USC has a 63.2 percent chance to land his commitment, while Oregon has a 34.6 percent chance, per Rivals predictions.

Nov 29, 2025; Los Angeles, California, USA; Southern California Trojans head coach Lincoln Riley poses with fans after the game against the UCLA Bruins at United Airlines Field at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

While Fa'alave-Johnson is primarily being recruited as a safety, he can play running back, wide receiver, and cornerback as well. Another interesting note, Honor holds the fastest max speed ever recorded in a live high school game in the UCReport database at 22.70 mph.

Oregon was one of the first programs to offer Fa’alave-Johnson, back in July of 2024. He revealed his top 10 back on Dec. 16, 2025, which previously included Penn State, Ohio State, Oklahoma and Texas A&M.

“Oregon is definitely a top three school on my list and they never fail to amaze me,” Fa’alave-Johnson told On3 last spring. “The vibe I get at Oregon is unreal. They make me feel like family and a priority every time I go out there. Just building the relationships has been a great experience every time I am at Oregon.”

According to Fa’alave-Johnson’s social media, Lanning and defensive coordinator Chris Hampton visited him on Jan. 22.

🦆! Appreciate you Coach @CoachDanLanning & @Coach_CHampton for coming out and visiting me!! #Goducks pic.twitter.com/iO30HoKrUb

— Honor Fa’alave Johnson (@HonorFaalave) January 23, 2026

Honor Fa'alave-Johnson and Oregon's Dominant Defense

The 6-1, 190-pound safety is ranked the No. 1 athlete and and No. 1 player from California, per Rivals. He starred for Cathedral Catholic as a junior, totaling 40 tackles, three interceptions and a forced fumble. On offense, Fa’alave-Johnson rushed 150 times for 1,532 yards and 23 touchdowns in the backfield, and caught 35 passes for 564 yards and seven touchdowns.

Oregon has a chance to land five star safeties in back to back recruiting classes if Fa’alave Johnson commits, further reinforcing one of the Ducks’ strongest position groups.

From the class of 2026, the Ducks landed five-star safety Jett Washington, who also was being heavily pursued by the USC Trojans. The potential addition of Fa’alave-Johnson would be a big feather in the cap of Lanning and his dominant defense.

It also would be a dangerous duo... Washington and Fa’alave-Johnson safety pairing could help Oregon’s secondary dominate in the Big Ten.

Transfer safety Dillon Thieneman anchored the Ducks’ defense in 2025. After Thieneman declared the 2026 NFL Draft, Lanning and Oregon landed transfer Koi Perich, from the Minnesota Golden Gophers.

Oregon head coach Dan Lanning takes the field as the Oregon Ducks host the Indiana Hoosiers Oct. 11, 2025, at Autzen Stadium in Eugene, Oregon. | Ben Lonergan/The Register-Guard / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Oregon's 2027 Recruiting Class

Oregon currently has five commitments in the 2027 recruiting class and no safeties. Oregon's class is made up of four-star edge rusher Cameron Pritchett, four-star offensive lineman Drew Fielder, four star running back CaDarius McMiller, three-star offensive tackle Avery Michael and three-star linebacker Sam Ngata.

The Ducks are ranked No. 10 by Rivals in the 2027 recruiting class rankings. A commitment from a five-star like Fa’alave-Johnson would quickly boost the team’s recruiting ranking.

In addition to Washington, Lanning also signed four-star safeties Devin Jackson and Xavier Lherisse to the 2026 recruiting class.

... Tune in on Saturday to find out Fa'alave-Johnson's decision.

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