USC Trojans Making a Strong Push for Coveted Cornerback Recruit

Mater Dei (Calif.) four-star cornerback Danny Lang made the short trip to USC on Tuesday morning, arriving on campus with his dad at 6 a.m. PT to talk with numerous people on the staff. He lives close to campus.

Lang was back at practice again on Friday, along with a plethora of Mater Dei coaches and 2028 four-star safety Ace Leutele. One source said that Lang was completely locked in and attached to cornerbacks coach Trovon Reed the entire practice.

And according to On3’s Scott Schrader, Lang will be on campus again Saturday.

USC Trojans Making Danny Lang a Priority

USC Trojans Lincoln Riley Recruiting Class Danny Lang Aaryn Washington Mater Dei Mark Bowman Drew Fielder Visit Spring — Oct 21, 2023; Los Angeles, California, USA; Southern California Trojans head coach Lincoln Riley watches from the sidelines against the Utah Utes in the first half at United Airlines Field at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

It wouldn’t be the first time Lang, the No. 53 overall prospect and No. 7 cornerback, per 247Sports, was on campus multiple times in one week. The local recruit attended multiple practices for the Trojans regular season finale against UCLA.

Recruits have raved about Reed’s ability to build genuine relationships and describe him as a big brother. Reed is a true teacher and brings a ton of energy and passion on and off the field. All things that helped land Washington and is drawing Lang to his hometown school.

USC is all-in on keeping Lang from leaving the state as they push to continue their recruiting pipeline with the national powerhouse in Orange County.

Southern Cal signed four recruits from Mater Dei in the 2026 cycle in tight end Mark Bowman, receiver Kayden Dixon-Wyatt, defensive lineman Tomuhini Topui and linebacker Shaun Scott. It was the first time the Trojans signed anyone from there since 2022, coach Lincoln Riley’s first recruiting class at USC.

In the previous recruiting cycle, Topui became a constant presence at practice, often visiting the Trojans after flipping his commitment from Oregon to USC. With consistent time spent bringing Lang onto campus, Riley and the rest of the Trojans coaching staff are making their priorities pretty clear.

Recruiting Southern California

After signing 17 recruits from Southern California and another two that are originally from their backyard, the Trojans are continuing to reestablish themselves as the preeminent recruiting force but it's not enough to do it once.

In addition to landing four-star cornerback Aaryn Washington (transferred to IMG Academy from Mater Dei), USC holds commitments from Corona Centennial (Calif.) four-star receiver Quentin Hale, Chapparal (Calif.) four-star receiver Eli Woodard and Santa Margarita (Calif.) three-star defensive lineman Isaia Vandermade in the 2027 class.

Lang is one of several highly touted defensive backs from Southern California the Trojans have their eyes on, including five-star safety Honor Fa’alave-Johnson, four-star safeties Gavin Williams and Darius Johnson and four-star cornerbacks Jailen Hill and Duvay Williams. Similar to Lang, USC has the luxury of visiting or hosting them on campus multiple times as recruiting ramps up this spring because of their close proximity.

Servite (Calif.) four-star offensive tackle and Oregon commit Drew Fielder was at USC to watch spring practice on Friday. The Trojans recently offered him on February 24. Last cycle, Southern Cal signed eight recruits from the prestigious Trinity League conference, which is more than they signed the previous four cycles combine.