USC Picking Up Recruiting Momentum With Another California Commitment

For the second consecutive recruiting cycle, the USC Trojans are going on a heater in the spring.

They picked their second commitment in 24 hours on Sunday when St. John Bosco (Calif.) three-star linebacker Josiah Poyer announced his pledge, joining Servite (Calif.) four-star offensive tackle Drew Fielder, who flipped from Oregon.

USC Trojans Lincoln Riley St. John Bosco Recruiting Drew Fielder Josiah Poyer Danny Lang Commitment Mater Dei Spring Visit — 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

Poyer picked up an offer from his hometown school on January 23 and chose the Trojans over offers from Notre Dame, Cal, Washington, Michigan and others.

Last cycle, USC signed freshman defensive back Joshua Holland from Bosco. Redshirt sophomore cornerback Marcelles Williams and redshirt junior linebacker Deven Bryant also come from the national powerhouse roughly 30 minutes from campus.

After Poyer’s commitment, the Trojans moved up to No. 4 in the 2027 recruiting rankings according to the 247Sports. After finishing with the No. 1 class in the 2026 cycle, USC coach Lincoln Riley is making a push for another top five finish.

Loading up on Southern California Recruits

The narrative around the Trojans when it comes to recruiting elite recruits in Southern California has drastically changed over the last year.

For years, USC struggled to land top prospects in the Trinity League and build a fence around Southern California. They will never land every top prospect in the area, especially in the NIL era, but the Trojans have blossomed into the preeminent force in the state for the first time in a decade.

They hold commitments from five of the top 13 prospects in California, per 247Sports, in Fielder, San Diego (Calif.) Cathedral Catholic five-star athlete Honor Fa’alave-Johnson, Mater Dei (Calif.) four-star cornerback Danny Lang, Corona Centennial (Calif.) four-star receiver Quentin Hale and Chaparral (Calif.) four-star receiver Eli Woodard. No other school at the moment has more than one.

Santa Margarita (Calif.) three-star defensive lineman Isaia Vandermade is one of four commits from the Trinity League, which includes Poyer, Fielder and Lang. This comes a year after signing eight recruits from the prestigious conference, which is more than they signed the previous four cycles combined (5).

IMG Academy (Fla.) four-star cornerback Aaryn “J.O.” Washington was the Trojans first commit in the 2027 class when he announced his pledge in January at the Navy All-American Bowl. Washington is a Southern California native that played his last three seasons at Mater Dei.

Adding to the 2027 Class

USC’s 2027 class will be much smaller than the 35 recruits they signed in 2026. It will be less than 20 recruits.

Westlake (Calif.) four-star tight end Charles Davis attended the Trojans scrimmage at the Coliseum. It was his second time on campus this month. Lake Charles College Prep (La.) three-star athlete Javon Vital will announce his pledge on the Thursday, April 2.

The Trojans have been trending for the electrifying playmaker. Vital would mark the third consecutive year that Southern Ca has landed a recruit from Louisiana, joining sophomore defensive tackle Jahkeem Stewart and 2026 three-star receiver signee Roderick Tezeno.

Other notable targets on the offensive line include Orange Lutheran (Calif.) four-star interior offensive lineman Lucas Rhoa, Cherry Creek (Colo.) four-star interior offensive lineman Jackson Roper and James Campbell (Hawaii) four-star offensive tackle Isaiah Bertola.

USC has their eyes on a few blue-chip defensive linemen, including Oaks Christian (Calif.) four-star Alifeleti Tuihalamaka, Greenwich Country Day (Conn.) four-star edge and top 50 recruit Mekai Brown and Sarasota (Fla.) four-star defensive lineman Maleek Lee

USC is likely to only take one more linebacker in the 2027 class. Two names to keep an eye out for are Mount Carmel (Ill.) four-star Roman Igwebuike and Pacifica (Calif.) three-star Isaiah Phelps.

Recruiting targets in the secondary include St. John Bosco four-star cornerback Jailen Hill, Prattville (Ala.) four-star safety Jayden Aparicio-Bailey and Damien (Calif.) four-star safety Gavin Williams.

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