USC Trojans Recruiting Plan for the Secondary

USC has put a priority on upgrading its secondary over the past year. In the 2026 class, the Trojans signed six recruits for the backend of the defense.

They’ve made big-time hires to develop those players, starting with cornerbacks coach Trovon Reed last January and then safeties coach Paul Gonzales and nickels coach Sam Carter earlier this year. Defensive coordinator Gary Patterson has also been heavily involved with coaching those position groups. So what is USC's plan in recruiting for the secondary in the 2027 class?

Cornerback Position

USC Trojans Lincoln Riley Recruiting Trovon Reed Gavin Williams Danny Lang Spring Official Visit Honor Fa'alave-Johnson — Jul 24, 2025; Las Vegas, NV, USA; USC head coach Lincoln Riley speaks to the media during the Big Ten NCAA college football media days at Mandalay Bay Resort. Mandatory Credit: Lucas Peltier-Imagn Images | Lucas Peltier-Imagn Images

USC is done recruiting cornerback after landing IMG Academy (Fla.) four-star Aaryn "J.O." Washington, the No. 67 overall prospect and No. 9 cornerback in January and Mater Dei (Calif.) four-star Danny Lang, the No. 53 overall prospect and No. 7 cornerback, per 247Sports over Oregon and Ohio State last month.

Washington and Lang will reunite in college. Before transferring to IMG earlier this year, Washington starred at Mater Dei for three seasons. Last cycle, the Trojans signed four recruits from the national powerhouse in Orange County and have strengthened their pipeline in the 2027 class.

Washington can mix between playing in the slot and on the outside. He's a technician at the position and has a great understanding of route concepts in zone coverage. The four-star recruit is a track star, having competed in the Junior Olympics.

Lang has played every position in the secondary at Mater Dei and can transition between all of them with ease. He's long and does a great job of using his length to break up passes. Lang is quick out of his breaks and has tremendous instincts. He plays aggressive and is physical in run support, coming downhill with urgency.

Washington and Lang both competed at the Navy All-American Bowl in January as underclassmen.

Safety Position

San Diego (Calif.) Cathedral Catholic five-star Honor Fa'alave-Johnson is the No. 1 rated athlete and will play both sides of the ball for the Trojans, with one being safety. Offensively, he has game-changing speed and is a player that you just put the ball in their hands and let them do the rest. The uber-talented Fa'alave-Johnson is one of the top players to come out of San Diego in recent memory.

USC plans to add one more safety and have targeted two recruits in Damien (Calif.) four-star Gavin Williams, the No. 86 overall prospect and No. 6 safety and Prattville (Ala.) four-star Jayden Aparicio-Bailey, the No. 171 overall prospect and No. 14 safety, per 247Sports

Southern Cal was once considered the heavy favorites for Williams after he attended three games at the Coliseum in the fall. However, since the staff changes to secondary, things have cooled off a little and schools such as Notre Dame, UCLA and Washington have emerged.

The local product has been on campus twice this spring, with the last one coming this past Friday, where he spent an extended period of time on campus. Two significant visits. Williams does have an official visit scheduled with the Trojans and the hometown lure is appealing but USC certainly has some work to do.

Aparicio-Bailey is originally from the Los Angeles area and had a productive visit when he was out here a couple of weeks ago. But pulling him out of the south from schools such as Georgia, Florida and Clemson is a tall task.

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