Four-Star Gavin Williams Gets Candid on USC, Notre Dame Recruiting Decision

The USC Trojans were persistent in their pursuit of Damien (Calif.) four-star safety Gavin Williams in the spring.

The Trojans used a helicopter to send assistant general manager Dre Brown, director of recruiting Weston Zernechel and safeties coach Paul Gonzales to visit Williams at his school's College Showcase in early May.

USC Trojans Gavin Williams Recruiting Class Paul Gonzales Honor Fa'alave-Johnson Calen Bullock Danny Lang Aaryn Washington — 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

USC battled the Notre Dame Fighting Irish for Williams, who officially announced his pledge just a few weeks later. In a day-in-the-life video on YouTube, Williams shared why he ultimately chose his hometown school.

“Just being able to stay home and seeing what they’re building there,” Williams said. “I feel like the culture is changing at SC. The future is bright there already, it’s going upwards and it’s something I want to be part of for the next couple of years.”

Williams is the No. 93 overall prospect, No. 6 safety, and the No. 10 player in California according to 247Sports. He helped strengthen the Trojans' hold on California recruiting as they hold commitments from five of the top 10 recruits in the state. No other program has more than one.

What USC is Getting in Gavin Williams

One of the players Williams says he models his game after is former USC All-American and current Houston Texans safety Calen Bullock.

Their games are very similar. Bullock has more length with his 6-3 frame, compared to Williams at 6-1, but their ability to cover a ton of ground in a hurry and play the traditional deep-safety role is incredibly valuable.

They have the ability to change the game at any given moment because of their ball hawk skills. The Trojans commit has recorded 11 interceptions and forced six fumbles over the past three seasons.

Williams is a two-way star at his high school, and his understanding of route concepts and angles translates to the defensive side of the ball. He is also a better tackler than Bullock.

USC Trojans' Secondary Class

USC Trojans Commit Honor Fa'alave-Johnson Lincoln Riley Chad Bowden Recruiting Class Official Visit Gavin Williams — San Diego (Calif.) Cathedral Catholic athlete and USC Trojans commit Honor Fa'alave-Johnson | Kendell Hollowell @Khollowell_

Williams is part of a remarkable secondary class for USC in the 2027 class, which features five-star athlete Honor Fa’alave-Johnson, who will play both ways, and four-star cornerbacks Danny Lang and Aaryn “J.O” Washington. All four recruits are ranked inside the top 100 overall prospects according to 247Sports and are from Southern California.

“To be honest, I think us four is the best in our class,” Lang said to USC Trojans on SI. “Honor is probably gonna go both ways. I got J.O. on the other side of me and Gavin, he's a dude for sure. We’re all dudes, so it's gonna be great seeing us play together.”

This comes after the Trojans signed six defensive backs in the 2026 class, headlined by Elbert Hill, the No. 1 cornerback.

USC has been stacking recruits in the secondary, and they are making a strong push to land another stellar group in the backend for the 2028 class. Williams is making his own pitch for his childhood friend, Mission Viejo (Calif.) four-star defensive back Jordan Hicks, to join him in Los Angeles.

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