USC Trojans Five-Star Recruit Honor Fa'alave-Johnson Signs Major NIL Deal

The USC Trojans, a prominent Nike program, will have one of their 2027 commits signed with Adidas when he joins the team next year with the latest NIL announcement.

Dec 30, 2025; San Antonio, TX, USA; Southern California Trojans head coach Lincoln Riley watches in the first half against the TCU Horned Frogs during the Alamo Bowl at Alamodome. | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

Before the NIL era, former student-athletes would sign with a brand, often the sponsor of their sports program, right before they entered the pros. All that changed in July 2021 when California became the first state to pass legislation that permitted high schoolers to profit from their personal brand without losing their athletic eligibility. From that moment on, brands were given the green light to sign up-and-coming athletes before they entered college. 

While these deals benefit student athletes, donning the apparel of a rival brand only heats up the competition between the likes of Nike/Jordan, Adidas and Under Armour in the college football world. And Adidas just stirred the pot with its long-time rival.

Honor Fa'alave-Johnson Signs With Adidas

USC Trojans 2027 commit Honor Fa'alave-Johnson | Honor Fa'alave-Johnson X page.

On June 12, Adidas announced their 2026 Adizero Class of top ranked high school players. The class is built of seven prospects, six five-stars and a four-star, including USC 2027 commit Honor Fa'alave-Johnson. 

The five-star, two-way player committed to Southern Cal back in March. This past season, Fa'alave-Johnson recorded 1,265 rushing yards, 564 receiving yards and a total of 28 touchdowns on offense. On defense he racked up 38 total tackles, two interceptions, four pass deflections, a fumble recovery and a forced fumble.

The rest of the Adidas class is as follows:

• Ohio State commit, five-star edge rusher David Jacobs (2027)
• Ohio State commit, five-star wide receiver Jamier Brown (2027)
• Miami commit, five-star wide receiver Nick Lennear (2027)
• Nebraska commit, five-star quarterback Trae Taylor (2027)
• Five-star cornerback A’mir Sears (2028)
• Five-star wide receiver Braylon Clark (2028)

USC's History With Nike

Feb 19, 2025; Los Angeles, California, USA; The Southern California Trojans Nike jersey of guard JuJu Watkins at the USC Bookstore. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

USC and Nike have had a partnership for the past two decades when they signed a multi-sport deal with Nike back in 2005. Since then, Trojan athletes have donned the swoosh from uniforms, footwear to sideline gear. 

In May 2011, Southern Cal signed a 10-year agreement with Silver Star Merchandise to become the apparel manufacturer and distributor of Trojans athletic gear, but this did not interfere with the on-court/on-field uniforms of Nike.

Since USC is one of the biggest college brands with star appeal, current-student athletes have already put pen to paper with the swoosh. 

In October 2024, basketball star JuJu Watkins signed a multiyear contract extension with Nike, making it the richest shoe endorsement deal in women’s college basketball. Her co-star and rising sophomore, Jazzy Davidson, also signed an NIL deal with Nike in 2024, her senior year of high school.

Then in October 2025, USC volleyball players Madison Pietsch, Presley Kiffin and Mia Tvrdy along with basketball player Vivian Iwuchukwu were involved with the Nike-SKIMS collab. The student-athletes participated in the social media rollout and were signed NIL deals with the brands. 

As for the football program, incoming freshman tight end Mark Bowman signed with Nike while he was in high school. During the spring, he was featured on the Nike App to promote new apparel. The Branch brothers – Zion and Zachariah – also signed with Jordan Brand, part of the Nike family, when they were a part of the program in 2024.

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