USC Pushing to Continue Mater Dei Recruiting Pipeline With Key Commitment

A major USC target is set to come off the board this week. Mater Dei (Calif.) four-star cornerback Danny Lang will announce his commitment on Wednesday, March 25.

Lang’s recruitment has largely turned into another West Coast battle between the Trojans and Oregon. Auburn is another one of three finalists.

Mater Dei to USC Pipeline

USC Trojans Mater Dei Chad Bowden Savage Recruiting Class Trinity League Danny Lang Commitment Mark Bowman Kayden Dixon-Wyatt — 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

Mater Dei is a national brand in high school athletics. The private school located in Orange County, less than an hour from the Trojans campus, has a roster that is flooded with elite talent.

After signing three recruits from the local school in the 2022 cycle, Lincoln Riley’s first recruiting class at USC, the pipeline dried up. The retirement of legendary Mater Dei head coach Bruce Rollinson, who played his college football at USC, after that year played a major role.

Former USC quarterbacks Matt Leinart and Mark Barkley and receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown all played under Rollinson. After his departure, the Trojans had no relationship with the new staff and were constantly being out recruited by several out of state programs.

However, that changed last offseason with general manager Chad Bowden and inside receivers/tight ends coach Chad Savage, who was thought of in high regard by Southern California coaches when he came over Colorado State.

USC flipped freshman defensive tackle Tomuhini “TomTom” Topui from Oregon last April and then landed tight end Mark Bowman and linebacker Shaun Scott the next month. The Trojans kept pursuing receiver Kayden Dixon-Wyatt when he was committed to Ohio State and were able to flip him on National Signing Day in December. The four Mater Dei signees are key pieces in USC's No. 1 recruiting class and expected to be immediate contributors.

Southern Cal is building upon that in the 2027 class. Four-star cornerback commit Aaryn Washington previously played at Mater Dei before transferring to IMG Academy (Fla.) in January.

Lang lives close to campus and has been a frequent visitor over the last year. He attended four games at the Coliseum this past fall and has been back at USC four times this month. His most recent visit may have sealed the deal.

Similar to Topui and Bowman, the Trojans gave Lang a more intimate visit inside the Coliseum on March 11. It featured a message from his former Mater Dei teammates on the Jumbotron. Lang has been a high priority target for quite sometime and have pulled out all of the stops to keep him from leaving the state.

Defensive Back Recruits

After signing an impressive set of defensive backs in the 2026 cycle, USC is pushing to do the same in the 2027 cycle.

In addition to Washington, the Trojans hold a commitment from San Diego (Calif.) Cathedral Catholic five-star athlete Honor Fa’alave-Johnson. The No. 1 ranked athlete and player in California is going to play safety but is also expected to contribute on the offensive side of the ball.

USC has their eyes on another Trinity League cornerback in St. John Bosco (Calif.) four-star Jailen Hill and will continue to pursue Damien (Calif.) four-star safety Gavin Williams, who recently visited campus on March 13.

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