USC Trojans Lock in Official Visit with California Four-Star Safety Recruit

Damien (Calif.) four-star safety Gavin Williams was a frequent visitor at the Coliseum this past fall and local product has locked in his official visit with the USC Trojans for June.

Nov 30, 2024; Los Angeles, California, USA; Southern California Trojans head coach Lincoln Riley reacts against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish in the second half at United Airlines Field at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

Damien (Calif.) four-star safety Gavin Williams has scheduled an official visit with the USC Trojans for June 12, Rivals announced on Thursday. 

Williams cut his list down to five schools, which includes USC, UCLA, Texas A&M, Washington and Notre Dame. 

Impact of Landing Gavin Williams

Nov 30, 2024; Los Angeles, California, USA; Southern California Trojans head coach Lincoln Riley reacts against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish in the second half at United Airlines Field at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

Williams, the No. 90 overall prospect and No. 8 safety, per the 247Sports Rankings, is a high priority target for the Trojans in the 2027 cycle. 

The local product had a busy fall itinerary, visiting multiple schools across the country but Williams did make his way out to Coliseum three times. Doug Belk paid him a visit in early January, but USC's former secondary coach is no longer with the program. Trojans coach Lincoln Riley then visited the local prospect himself in mid-January. 

USC has the luxury of being in close proximity to Williams, who plays his high school football roughly 35 miles away from campus. But so does UCLA and several other programs are in hot pursuit. 

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Southern Cal flipped the narrative in the 2026 cycle with recruits in their state. And landing a player of Williams' caliber is step in continuing that trend in the 2027 cycle. The blueprint general manager Chad Bowden is trying to follow only works if landing elite prospects in Southern California becomes the norm.

The 6-foot-1, 180-pound Williams can be a game-changer at the safety position. He is a true center fielder that has tremendous ball skills with his wide receiver background. Williams is a natural athlete that can tackle well in space. It's easy to see why the blue-chip prospect is highly sought-after.

The next step would be getting Willimas on campus in the spring and to get him acclimated with new defensive coordinator Gary Paterson and secondary coach Paul Gonzales. Spring practices allow players to spend an extended period of time around the coaches in meetings and see up-close their coaching style. 

2027 Recruiting Class Shaping Up 

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. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

USC signed 35 recruits in their top-ranked class last cycle, the 2027 cycle is expected to be about half of that. 

The Trojans hold three commitments in this current cycle from IMG Academy (Fla.) four-star cornerback Aaryn ‘JO’ Washington, Chaparral (Calif.) three-star receiver Eli Woodard, Santa Margarita (Calif.) three-star defensive lineman Isaia Vandermade. 

Washington is originally from California, transferring from Mater Dei to IMG in January. It shows USC’s commitment to continue to stack recruiting classes with an emphasis on talented Southern California 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

Williams is one of many defensive back recruits from Southern California that are on the Trojans priority list, which includes San Diego (Calif.) Cathedral five-star safety Honor Fa’alave-Johnson, Mater Dei four-star cornerback Danny Lang, Gardena (Calif.) Serra four-star cornerback Duvay Williams and St. John Bosco (Calif.) four-star cornerback Jailen Hill. 

USC remains in pursuit of Long Beach Poly (Calif.) five-star cornerback and Georgia commit Donte Wright.