USC Trojans' In-State Recruiting Machine Keeps Gaining Speed

Official visits have come and gone. Recruits have been making their decision as college football teams are putting a bow on their recruiting classes for the 2027 cycle.

While USC has a much smaller class than it had last cycle, one thing remained true: the Trojans continue to dominate California recruiting.

Local Recruiting Efforts

USC Trojans Recruiting Class Lincoln Riley Chad Bowden Quentin Hale Danny Lang Jordan Hicks Landon Miller Summer Visit — Sep 30, 2023; Boulder, Colorado, USA; USC Trojans head coach Lincoln Riley during the game against the Colorado Buffaloes at Folsom Field. Mandatory Credit: Chet Strange-USA TODAY Sports | USA TODAY Sports via Reuters Connect

USC holds a commitment from five of the top 10 and six of the top 13 overall prospects in the state of California, according to 247Sports. No other school has more than one commitment in that span.

It’s impossible for the Trojans to grab every top prospect in the state. For starters, there’s more than a couple of Power Four players in their backyard. Other programs can still recruit at a high level, and the rankings may not always reflect where they stand on USC’s recruiting board.

But one thing is clear, California recruiting once again goes through the Trojans.

It started in the secondary with the 2027 class. USC made it clear early that it had four local recruits that were on top of its board. Four-star cornerback Aaryn Washington became the first commit in the class when he announced his pledge at the Navy All-American Bowl in January. The Southern California native and former Mater Dei (Calif.) standout transferred to IMG Academy (Fla.) that month for his senior year.

The Trojans were aggressive in their pursuit of Washington’s former teammate at Mater Dei, Danny Lang, and San Diego (Calif.) Cathedral Catholic five-star athlete Honor Fa’alave-Johnson in the spring and landed a commitment from both in March. Damien (Calif.) four-star safety Gavin Williams was the final piece, and after battling Notre Dame and UCLA, USC landed a commitment from the local star in May.

USC Trojans Chad Bowden Recruitment Mater Dei Danny Lang Trovon Reed Aaryn Washington Mark Bowman Spring Practice Visit — Mater Dei (Calif.) 2027 cornerback and USC Trojans commit Danny Lang | USC Trojans on SI

Offensively, Corona Centennial (Calif.) four-star receiver Quentin Hale dreamed of wearing the Cardinal and Gold. But the Trojans were still all-in on the talented pass-catcher and landed a commitment in February. Servite (Calif.) four-star offensive tackle Drew Fielder was committed to Oregon when he picked up an offer from USC in late February.

Fielder visited three times in the spring and quickly got acclimated to the program. Not to mention his grandfather and great-uncle won a national championship with the Trojans, and his father is also an alum. Fielder flipped his commitment in March.

Fa’alave-Johnson, Lang and Hale are top 50 overall prospects. While Washington, Williams and Fielder are top 100 overall prospects. Oaks Christian (Calif.) four-star defensive lineman Alifeleti "Tolo" Tuihalamaka has been a fast riser this spring and sits inside the top 150 overall prospects.

Building Momentum in the 2028 class

USC Trojans Recruiting Class Ace Leutele Coaching Staff Danny Lang Mark Bowman Chad Bowden Mater Dei Recruits — Mater Dei (Calif.) 2028 four-star safety Ace Leutele | USC Trojans on SI

USC has its eyes set on stacking California recruits in the 2028 class. They have targeted a pair of local running backs in Corona Centennial three-star Malaki Davis and Santa Margarita (Calif.) three-star Jaion Smith. Tustin (Calif.) four-star receiver Hayden Koo has seen his recruitment skyrocket the past several months and picked up an offer from the Trojans after a workout last month, as did Rancho Cucamonga (Calif.) 2028 four-star tight end Jaylin Smalls

Three local offensive linemen sit atop their board in Cajon (Calif.) five-star offensive tackle Austin Attalah, JSerra Catholic (Calif.) four-star offensive tackle Lincoln Fa’alafi and St. John Bosco (Calif.) four-star IOL Elisha Mueller.

At linebacker, Servite four-star Allen “Cinco” Kennett V and De La Salle (Calif.) four-star Landon Miller both worked out early last month and are high-priority targets.

It’s a deep and talented group of defensive backs in Southern California in the 2028 class, and the Trojans intend to take advantage. At cornerback, it's Mission Viejo (Calif.) four-star cornerback Jordan Hicks, Santa Margarita four-star Ca’ron “Prime” Williams and Gardena (Calif.) Serra four-star Derrick Coleman.

At safety, it’s Orange Lutheran (Calif.) four-star Chauncey Washington II, Palos Verdes (Calif.) four-star Jalen Flowers and Mater Dei four-star Ace Leutele.

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