5-Star Recruit Schedules Busy Fall Visits: USC Trojans, Ohio State, Notre Dame

San Diego (Calif.) Cathedral Catholic five-star safety Honor Fa'alave-Johnson has scheduled six gameday visits for the fall, including one with the USC Trojans on Oct. 11. Can the Trojans keep the highly coveted recruit in Southern California?

Nov 30, 2024; Los Angeles, California, USA; Southern California Trojans head coach Lincoln Riley and Notre Dame Fighting Irish head coach Marcus Freeman shake hands after the game at United Airlines Field at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

San Diego (Calif.) Cathedral Catholic five-star safety Honor Fa'alave-Johnson has scheduled a gameday visit with the USC Trojans for when they host Michigan on Oct. 11. 

Fa'alave-Johnson visited the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum last fall when the Trojans shutout Utah State. 

With a majority of the Trojans toughest games on the road this season, their highly anticipated matchup against the Wolverines is sure to be a massive recruiting weekend. 

Nov 30, 2024; Los Angeles, California, USA; Southern California Trojans head coach Lincoln Riley and Notre Dame Fighting Irish head coach Marcus Freeman shake hands after the game at United Airlines Field at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

Honor Fa'alave-Johnson is the No. 24 overall recruit, No. 3 safety and No. 2 overall recruit in California, per the 247Sports Composite Rankings in the 2027 cycle. Fa'alave-Johnson is a two-way star, averaging over 12 yards per carry at running back as a sophomore last season, but most schools are pursuing him as a defensive back. 

However, the Trojans have left the door open to him playing on the offensive side of the ball. When he visited campus in the spring he met with the offensive and defensive coaches. 

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Fa'alave-Johnson has been on the Trojans radar for quite some time. They were the first school to offer him, the summer after his freshman season. But since the turn of the year, Southern Cal has ramped up their recruiting efforts for the San Diego native. 

As Fa'alave-Johnson begins to narrow his focus, he has set five other visits in the fall with Notre Dame on Sept. 13, Penn State on Sept. 27, Michigan on Oct. 18, Ohio State on Nov. 1 and Oregon on Nov. 22, per 247Sports.

2027 Safety Targets 

Sep 21, 2024; Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA; USC Trojans head coach Lincoln Riley on the sideline in the second half against the Michigan Wolverines at Michigan Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Rick Osentoski-Imagn Images | Rick Osentoski-Imagn Images

In addition to Fa'alave-Johnson, the Trojans have their eyes set a number of other safeties in Southern California. 

Tustin (Calif.) four-star Khalil Terry rocked a USC towel at a 7v7 tournament this summer, after decommitting from Michigan State in June. Terry, an Orange County native, has also shown a strong interest in Ohio State. 

Damien (Calif.) four-star Gavin Williams picked up an offer from the Trojans in January and took a visit in March. He has seen his recruiting skyrocket since then, picking up offers from Alabama, Michigan, Texas, Georgia and Ohio State. 

Ohio State Buckeyes head coach Ryan Day leads the first football practice of the season at the Woody Hayes Athletic Center on July 31, 2025. | Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Williams plans on visiting multiple games at the Coliseum this season and will also see them in mid-October when they play Notre Dame in South Bend. 

Mater Dei (Calif.) four-star Danny Lang could play cornerback or safety at the next level. He’s been on campus multiple times this calendar year, including for a private workout in front of the coaches in June. The Trojans are in a good position to continue its renewed recruiting pipeline with the national powerhouse in the 2027 class.

Sierra Canyon (Calif.) four-star Myles Baker also saw his recruitment pick up in the spring. He picked up an offer from USC on May 1. Other notable offers in the spring include Texas, LSU, Texas A&M, Notre Dame and Michigan. 

Of course, Baker, will have a few teammates pushing for him to stay in Los Angeles. USC holds a commitment from three players at the local high school in four-star cornerback Brandon Lockhart, three-star safety Madden Riordan and three-star receiver Ja’Myron Baker. 

Oct 28, 2023; Berkeley, California, USA; USC Trojans head coach Lincoln Riley before the game against the California Golden Bears at California Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images | Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images

Bishop Gorman (Nev.) five-star cornerback Hayden Stepp is outside of Southern California, but is someone the Trojans are highly interested in. The Las Vegas native is ranked as a cornerback, but could certainly blossom into a safety with his 6-foot-4 frame. 

USC only has one safety commit at the moment in Riordan. And depending how they are able to add another, the Trojans could a high priority on the position in the 2027 class.