Oregon Ducks Pushing to Flip Five-Star Recruit From USC Trojans

The Oregon Ducks are already stockpiling five-star recruits but still have their sights set on flipping one more.

Oregon head coach Dan Lanning takes the field with his team for warmups as the Oregon Ducks take on the Texas Tech Red Raiders in the Orange Bowl on Jan. 1, 2026, at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami, Florida. | Ben Lonergan/The Register-Guard

The Oregon Ducks have turned Eugene into a five-star destination resort. For recruits holding that ranking, that is.

Wide receiver Xaver Sabb represents the newest five-star addition to the 2027 recruiting class. He joins fellow five-star wideout Dakota Guerrant and one more five-star in quarterback Will Mencl on the offensive side. Edge rusher Rashad Streets represents the lone five-star recruit on defense per 247Sports composite for the current cycle.

Yet coach Dan Lanning and his coaching staff appear to be eyeing one more five-star. According to 247Sports' Tom Loy, the Ducks have not given up recruiting five-star athlete Honor Fa'alave-Johnson despite his commitment to USC.

Who Oregon is now Targeting Next

Oregon head coach Dan Lanning leads practice Thursday, April 14, 2022. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

The versatile standout from Cathedral Catholic in San Diego verbally chose the Trojans in March 2026. USC even flew into his high school via helicopter to assure Fa'alave-Johnson was a huge building block for its 2027 class.

"Behind the scenes, we're told schools haven't completely given up. Oregon and Texas  are two to keep an eye on," Loy reported.

No doubt landing Fa'alave-Johnson becomes a massive coup for Oregon, but the California native won't be easy to flip. The Ducks certainly can present a new argument for No. 1 in the 2027 recruiting rankings if they do steal Fa'alave-Johnson from USC.

Oregon recruiting Fa'alave-Johnson should still be taken seriously, though, for multiple reasons.

Honor Fa'alave-Johnson's Athleticism

Oregon’s Dakorien Moore celebrates with Duck fans during the game against Oklahoma State. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

Fa'alave-Johnson presents uncanny skills that can convince Lanning to plug him at two different spots.

The 6-0 talent can stretch defenses at wide receiver and form a deadly trio with Guerrant and Sabb. Even four-star athlete Tae Walden Jr. can contend for a fourth spot at receiver.

But Fa'alave-Johnson can disrupt passes at a high rate off his elite closing speed. That makes him an early contender to become Oregon's next NFL caliber safety if he chooses to dip out of his USC pledge. He too can form a tandem with Walden here if the latter opts to play on defense. Fa'alave-Johnson could join a future stacked secondary that features four-star recruit Hayden Stepp at one cornerback spot, then four-star safety Semaj Stanford manning one of the safety areas for Oregon.

Fa'alave-Johnson would surround himself with star power in Eugene.

Could History Repeat Itself Involving USC and Oregon?

Nov 11, 2023; Eugene, Oregon, USA; Oregon Ducks head coach Dan Lanning reacts after a fumble recovery by defensive back Evan Williams (33) during the second half against the USC Trojans at Autzen Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Troy Wayrynen-USA TODAY Sports | USA TODAY Sports via Reuters Connect

Oregon ruffled USC's feathers before involving a five-star recruit.

Famed running back/wide receiver De'Anthony Thomas went from longtime USC commit to choosing Oregon on National Signing Day back in 2011. That flip came when Lanning was a graduate assistant with Pittsburgh, and USC coach Lincoln Riley was offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach for East Carolina.

Now the Big Ten coaches have tried to one-up each other on the recruiting trail. USC's top-ranked recruiting class for 2026 features past Oregon commits in four-star quarterback Jonas Williams plus four-star defensive tackle Tomuhini Topui.

But the key to land Fa'alave-Johnson for Oregon is getting the two-way star in for a fall visit. That'll be hard considering USC's strict no-visit policy involving commits, as they're barred from taking official visits elsewhere once they commit to the Trojans.

Yet in the recruiting world, anything can still happen before recruits sign the letter of intent in December. All the more reason why Fa'alave-Johnson to Oregon isn't going to be ruled out just yet.

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