Five-Star Recruit Honor Fa’alave-Johnson Speaks Candidly About USC Commitment

San Diego (Calif.) Cathedral Catholic five-star athlete and USC Trojans commit Honor Fa'alave-Johnson shuts down rumors about his recruitment.

San Diego (Calif.) Cathedral Catholic athlete and USC Trojans commit Honor Fa'alave-Johnson | Kendell Hollowell @Khollowell_

San Diego (Calif.) Cathedral Catholic five-star athlete and USC commit Honor Fa’alave-Johnson can’t control rumors, nor is he concerned about them because none of it is coming from his side. 

The Trojans landed a big-time commitment from the No. 1 athlete according to every recruiting outlet in March over Oregon, Texas, Alabama and others. Southern Cal had been pursuing Fa’alave-Johnson since he was in the eighth grade. 

San Diego (Calif.) Cathedral Catholic athlete and USC Trojans commit Honor Fa'alave-Johnson | Kendell Hollowell @Khollowell_

Fa’alave-Johnson officially shutdown his recruitment back in May before the start of official visit season after the Trojans used a helicopter to send five staff members down to San Diego to meet with one of their prized recruits in the 2027 class. 

“The coaching staff made me a priority to the team, and I think I could contribute to the team next year, and just be a hard worker,” Fa’alave-Johnson said. 

Schools have continued to contact him this summer, but Fa’alave-Johnson remains 100% locked in with the Trojans and has reiterated it to them for months. 

“I'm blessed for them reaching out, but I'm happy where I am,” Fa’alave-Johnson said. 

Frequent Visitor at USC Trojans Campus

Aug 30, 2025; Los Angeles, California, USA; Southern California Trojans head coach Lincoln Riley watches from the sidelines against the Missouri State Bears in the first half at United Airlines Field at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Fa’alave-Johnson has built great relationships with multiple USC staff members, including director of high school recruiting relations Aaron Amaama, aka Coach Dogg, who has been heavily involved in his recruitment. The two walked onto the field together every time Fa’alave-Johnson visited in the spring. 

“He's the guy. I have a good relationship, and he makes it more than football, but family. He really pulled all the pieces together for me,” Fa’alave-Johnson said. 

Instead of taking other official visits, Fa’alave-Johnson has returned to Southern Cal multiple times this summer to continue getting acclimated with the program and his future teammates ahead of his enrollment in January. 

Fa’alave-Johnson, whose main position will be safety but also have a role on offense, worked out with fellow safety commit, Damien (Calif.) four-star Gavin Williams over the summer. 

"He’s a baller, he's a hard worker and I can't wait to work with him,” Fa’alave-Johnson said. 

Staying Close to Home 

USC Trojans general manager Chad Bowden hired from Notre Dame Fighting Irish | USC Trojans Video Youtube

Fa’alave-Johnson is part of an impressive haul of California recruits in the Trojans 2027 class. This comes after they made waves with elite prospects in the 2026 class. 

Fa’alave-Johnson had a strong desire to stay close to home and follow in the footsteps of USC legends from San Diego — Heisman Trophy winning running backs Marcus Allen and Reggie Bush, and the Trojans were determined to make it happen. 

“That was really my biggest pitch to them,” Fa’alave-Johnson said. “I want to stay in California, play with all of them, so they kind of made it easy for me. And then just the coaching staff, I trust them.”

General manager Chad Bowden has made it a priority to stack USC’s roster with California talent and Fa’alave-Johnson had been high on the priority board since his arrival in January 2025. Fa’alave-Johnson has started to put his recruiting hat on with other local prospects, most notably Tustin (Calif.) 2028 four-star receiver Hayden Koo. 

“Just being surrounded by people that you grew up with, or just seeing playing on that youth field, definitely plays a big part," Fa'alave-Johnson said. "And it's also you can relate to all the kids over there, all California kids. So it should be fun.”

Sign up to our free newsletter and follow us on Facebook, and X for the latest news.