5-Star Recruit Honor Fa’alave-Johnson Could Alter USC's Future

San Diego (Calif.) Cathedral Catholic five-star safety Honor Fa’alave-Johnson is down to six schools, Rivals reported on Wednesday.

USC, LSU, Notre Dame, Oregon, Texas and Miami are among the finalists for the No. 16 overall prospect, No. 1 safety and No. 1 player in California, per the 247Sports Composite Rankings.

Building a Fence Around California

USC Trojans Recruiting Class Rankings Honor Fa'alave-Johnson Mater Dei Danny Lang Commitment Aaryn Washington Lincoln Riley — Nov 2, 2024; Seattle, Washington, USA; USC Trojans head coach Lincoln Riley stands on the sideline during the fourth quarter against the Washington Huskies at Alaska Airlines Field at Husky Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Joe Nicholson-Imagn Images | Joe Nicholson-Imagn Images

Fa’alave-Johnson is a high priority target for the Trojans in the 2027 cycle. If there was a list of recruits USC can’t afford to let out of the state, his name would be a name at the top.

General manager Chad Bowden has made it a point of emphasis for the Trojans to become the preeminent recruiting force in its own state.

Of the top 25 prospects in California for the 2026 cycle, according to the 247Sports Composite Rankings, Southern Cal landed nine of them. The next closest was Washington and Oregon with four. It was a massive shift from what had transpired in recent cycles.

The Trojans signed 20 recruits from California and another two in five-star offensive tackle Keenyi Pepe and four-star linebacker Talanoa Ili, who are originally from Southern California.

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USC reestablished itself in the 2026 class, now, they have do it again in the 2027 class and it starts with landing the top-ranked player in the state.

Fa’alave-Johnson has a busy spring itinerary, which includes an unofficial visit scheduled with the Trojans on April 4. It is the last opportunity USC will most likely have to make an impression on the San Diego native before official visit season begins. Fa’alave-Johnson attended the Trojans win over Michigan last October and they visited him twice last month.

The two-way star is rated as a safety, which is the position Fa’alave-Johnson would play if he only played one side of the ball.

But there is a chance he ends up playing on both sides at the collegiate level in some capacity. It may not be full-time like Colorado Heisman Trophy winner Travis Hunter but more like USC Jim Thorpe Award winner Adoree Jackson, who majored on offense and minored on defense. The Trojans found creative ways to put the ball in the cornerback’s hands.

After 35 recruits in the 2026 cycle, USC will take about half of that in 2027. Of course, that is subject to change, but the Trojans are being specific in the prospects they target.

Targeting Defensive Backs in Southern California

Southern California is flooded with elite defensive back talent and the Trojans have targeted several of them. They already landed four-star cornerback Aaryn Washington, who transferred from Mater Dei (Calif.) to IMG Academy (Fla.) last month.

In addition to Fa’alave-Johnson, USC has targeted Damien (Calif.) four-star safety Gavin Williams. The Trojans visited him twice last month and hosted the local product three times at the Coliseum this past season.

USC has their eyes on Washington’s former teammate, four-star cornerback Danny Lang, a Swiss Army Knife in the secondary, Gardena (Calif.) four-star cornerback Duvay Williams and St. John Bosco (Calif.) four-star cornerback Jailen Hill.

Building a Fence Around California

Targeting Defensive Backs in Southern California

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