Lincoln Riley's Recruiting at USC Isn't Slowing Down Soon

USC Trojans coach Lincoln Riley has been busy visiting some of California's top prospects on the recruiting trail.

Sep 30, 2023; Boulder, Colorado, USA; USC Trojans head coach Lincoln Riley during the game against the Colorado Buffaloes at Folsom Field | Chet Strange-Imagn Images

After signing the best recruiting class in the country for the class of 2026, USC Trojans coach Lincoln Riley and his staff do not appear to be slowing down anytime soon when it comes to the class of 2027.

Lincoln Riley Visits Top Recruiting Targets

Riley and some of USC's assistant coaches have hit the road before the Trojans' Junior Day, held on Jan. 31. Riley has visited a number of high schools across Southern California to check in on five-star safety Honor Fa'alave-Johnson at Cathedral Catholic, four-star defensive back Danny Lang at Mater Dei, and four-star safety Gavin Williams at Damien.

Nov 29, 2025; Los Angeles, California, USA; Southern California Trojans head coach Lincoln Riley (right) talks with quarterback Jayden Maiava (14) in the second half against the UCLA Bruins at United Airlines Field at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

Danny Lang

As Riley and the Trojans continue to build the recruiting pipeline between USC and Mater Dei, Lang is a good place to start in the class of 2027. Teams can never use enough talent at defensive back, and Lang brings size and versatility to the position.

Listed as a 5-11.5, 160-pound cornerback, Lang is ranked the No. 57 player in the country by 247Sports. He has visited USC multiple times, but the Oregon Ducks are also working to land Lang over the Trojans.

Riley and USC cornerbacks coach Trovon Reed recently visited Lang:

@TrovonReed @LincolnRiley @uscfb pic.twitter.com/36afWkeefd

— Danny lang (@4_Dannny) January 23, 2026

USC recently announced the hire of defensive coordinator Gary Patterson who has a history of coaching up defensive backs. How the Trojans recruit the position under Patterson will be worth noting.

Gavin Williams

The Trojans aren't without competition as Williams has posted visits from Oregon coach Dan Lanning, Notre Dame coach Marcus Freeman, and Texas A&M coach Mike Elko all onto his social media.

Nov 8, 2025; Columbia, Missouri, USA; Texas A&M Aggies head coach Mike Elko watches warmups prior to a game against the Missouri Tigers at Faurot Field at Memorial Stadium. | Jay Biggerstaff-Imagn Images

At 6-1, 180, Williams is a highly-coveted safety recruit on the West Coast. In the fall, he visited USC, Washington, and Texas A&M.

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Honor Fa'alave-Johnson

Meanwhile, Fa'alave-Johnson is ranked as the No. 1 safety and the No. 1 prospect from California in the class of 2027, per 247Sports' composite rankings. Like Williams, Fa'alave-Johnson has also been visited at his school by Lanning and Freeman. In December, he announced a top 10 that consists of the following schools (listed alphabetically):

- Alabama
- Miami
- Notre Dame
- Ohio State
- Oklahoma
- Oregon
- Penn State
- Texas
- Texas A&M
- USC

USC Trojans' Transfer Portal Haul

Nov 7, 2025; Los Angeles, California, USA; Southern California Trojans head coach Lincoln Riley watches game action against the Northwestern Wildcats during the second half at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. | Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images

The Trojans are adding 35 recruits from the class of 2026 from the program, but Riley and his staff supplemented the roster with some talent and experience through the transfer portal.

USC landed former NC State wide receiver Terrell Anderson, former Iowa State cornerback Jontez Williams, former Washington linebacker Deven Bryant, former Penn State EDGE Zuriah Fisher, and more.

Besides the addition of Anderson at receiver, the Trojans seemingly invested in the defense with transfer portal prospects. USC is also adding cornerback Carrington Pierce from Oklahoma State and defensive lineman Alex VanSumeren from Michigan State.

With a relatively small portal class of eight incoming transfers, the Trojans could sign another big recruiting class for the 2027 cycle. While Riley and company might not bring in 35 commits again, the Trojans are in contention for some top prospects like Fa'alave Johnson, Lang, and Williams.