USC Trojans Emerging As Frontrunner For California Five-Star Recruit

The USC Trojans have made a strong push for San Diego (Calif.) Cathedral Catholic five-star safety Honor Fa'alave-Johnson this calendar year and have begun to emerge as the favorites in the fall over a west coast rival.

Sep 13, 2025; West Lafayette, Indiana, USA; Southern California Trojans head coach Lincoln Riley stands on the sidelines during the first quarter against the Purdue Boilermakers at Ross-Ade Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Marc Lebryk-Imagn Images | Marc Lebryk-Imagn Images

USC holds 35 commitments in the 2026 recruiting cycle and the Trojans are still working to potentially add a couple of more recruits with the early signing day in December fast approaching.

So, the 2027 class for Southern Cal will be much smaller, most likely under 20 recruits, which means USC is being selective with the prospects they pursue, and San Diego (Calif.) Cathedral Catholic five-star safety Honor Fa'alave Johnson is high on the priority list. He attends the same school as 2026 three-star offensive tackle and USC commit Chase Deniz.

Sep 13, 2025; West Lafayette, Indiana, USA; Southern California Trojans head coach Lincoln Riley stands on the sidelines during the first quarter against the Purdue Boilermakers at Ross-Ade Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Marc Lebryk-Imagn Images | Marc Lebryk-Imagn Images

Fa'alave-Johnson is the No. 20 overall prospect, No. 1 rated safety and No. 1 recruit in the state of California, according to the 247Sports Composite Rankings.

Keeping Southern California prospects in Southern California became a priority for the Trojans in the 2026 cycle under new general manager Chad Bowden and will continue for future classes.

Recruiting Battle with Oregon

Nov 11, 2023; Eugene, Oregon, USA; USC Trojans head coach Lincoln Riley, left, and Oregon Ducks head coach Dan Lanning talk before a game at Autzen Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Troy Wayrynen-Imagn Images | Troy Wayrynen-Imagn Images

Oregon had long been considered the favorite to land the Fa'alave-Johnson, but USC has begun to emerge as the frontrunners in the fall for the San Diego native. Fa'alave-Johnson was in-attendance for the Trojans week 7 victory over Michigan and the visit has made a lasting impact.

The two West Coast programs have been engaged in several recruiting battles, especially over the last decade and the 2027 class will be no different. Secondary coach Doug Belk is Fa'alave-Johnson's primary recruiter and has been relentless in his pursuit.

And its not hard to understand why when the tape comes on. Fa'alave-Johnson is rated as a safety, but the five-star recruit is a phenomenal athlete with blazing speed and possesses the ability to play multiple positions. He also stars as a running back and slot receiver at Cathedral Catholic.

MORE: USC Coach Lincoln Riley Defends Controversial Fake Punt

MORE: How to Watch USC Trojans Women's Volleyball Ahead of Nebraska Cornhuskers Match

MORE: How ESPN's College GameDay Could be on USC Trojans' Upcoming Schedule

For years, the Ducks had won out on several blue-chip prospects over the Trojans but the 2026 class has seen a shift in USC's direction. It started with Southern Cal flipping Lincoln-Way East (Ill.) four-star quarterback Jonas Williams and Mater Dei (Calif.) defensive lineman Tomuhini Topui from their west coast foe in the spring.

They landed Archbishop Hoban (Ohio) five-star cornerback Elbert Hill over Oregon and Kahuku (Hawaii) four-star linebacker Talanoa Ili in the summer, who had been linked to Ducks for almost a year.

2027 Safety Prospects

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. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images | Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images

Tustin (Calif.) four-star safety Khalil Terry was ready to commit to the Trojans earlier this fall, but with the 2027 class going to be much smaller than the current 2026 class, USC will only take two safeties and have zeroed in on Fa'alave-Johnson and Damien (Calif.) four-star Gavin Williams. Terry committed to Notre Dame this week.

Williams, a local two-way star himself, is the No. 8 rated safety, per 247Sports. He has been at the Coliseum twice this fall to watch the Trojans defeat Georgia Southern in week 2 and then Michigan State in week 2. Both trips made a strong impression on the four-star safety.

Williams has been busy this fall, having taken visits to Ohio State, Tennessee, Notre Dame, UCLA and Texas A&M, but USC is continuing to set the pace for his recruitment.