USC’s Mater Dei Recruiting Pipeline Is Getting Even Stronger

The USC Trojans have landed some of the best players to ever come out of Mater Dei High School. Matt Barkley, Amon-Ra St. Brown and Matt Leinart are just a few Monarchs who found success at USC.

Recently, the Trojans have been strengthening their recruiting pipeline by signing Mater Dei stars like defensive lineman Tomuhini Topui and linebacker Shaun Scott. For the 2027 recruiting cycle, USC has been in the mix for four-star cornerback Danny Lang, another top prospect from Mater Dei.

Getting Danny Lang on Campus

USC Trojans Mater Dei College Football Playoff Chad Bowden Lincoln Riley Matt Leinart Matt Barkley Amon-Ra St. Brown NIL — Dec 27, 2024; Las Vegas, NV, USA; Southern California Trojans head coach Lincoln Riley reacts against the Texas A&M Aggies in the second half at Allegiant Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

The Trojans were able to get Lang on campus multiple times during the first spring practices of the year according to Kendell Hollowell of USC Trojans on SI. That’s a big win for USC as they were able to get a talented national recruit on campus.

Being the local school for Lang will benefit the Trojans in the long run. Lang is ranked as the No. 7 cornerback and No. 53 player in the country according to 247Sports’ rankings.

Lang will be back on his campus for his official visit on June 12 per On3. His other two official visits that were scheduled are to Auburn on June 5 and Oregon on June 19.

USC has already had success recruiting the defensive back position in the 2027 recruiting cycle. They landed Lang’s former teammate at Mater Dei in four-star cornerback Aaryn Washington, but Washington transferred to IMG Academy shortly after pledging to the Trojans.

Re-establishing the Mater Dei pipeline

During the 2026 recruiting cycle, the Trojans went out and signed the best of the best from Southern California. Prior to landing Topui and Scott, and four-star wide receiver Kayden Dixon-Wyatt, and five-star tight end Mark Bowman in the 2026 cycle, the Trojans had recent misses when it came to the top prospects out of Mater Dei.

In fact, during USC coach Lincoln Riley’s first three recruiting cycles with the Trojans, he signed zero players out of Mater Dei.

The arrival of general manager Chad Bowden has helped USC make their presence felt in the Southern California area. Over half of their 2026 signees were in-state recruits.

Longstanding history between Mater Dei and USC

USC’s recruiting pipeline to Mater Dei can date back to the days of Leinart, who starred for the Monarchs from 1999-2000. Leinart did it all at USC. He won the Heisman Trophy and captured a national championship.

Barkley was a highly-regarded quarterback out of Mater Dei during the 2009 recruiting cycle. He signed to USC as the top player in the country according to the 247Sports’ Composite rankings.

It will be interesting to watch if the next bunch of Mater Dei stars who signed to USC, like Bowman and Topui, will turn out like those who came before them. They will certainly have the opportunity considering all four players are early enrollees. Bowman's potential is so high that he has the chance to be one of the best tight ends to come out of the West Coast.