USC Trojans Trending Toward Elite Recruiting Class During Official Visit Season

The USC Trojans had three more commits recently shutdown their recruitments.

Sep 3, 2022; Los Angeles, California, USA; Southern California Trojans head coach Lincoln Riley reacts in the second half against the Rice Owls at United Airlines Field at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

USC won’t generate a ton of noise this summer on the recruiting front because a majority of its class has been assembled before the official season began. 

However, the Trojans have been big winners this past month as they continue to secure their top commits. 

USC Commits Shutdown Their Recruitments 

Sep 3, 2022; Los Angeles, California, USA; Southern California Trojans head coach Lincoln Riley reacts in the second half against the Rice Owls at United Airlines Field at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

Southern Cal hosted 12 of its 13 commitments last weekend for their official visits. It gave them an opportunity to continue getting acclimated with the program in its entirety and bond as a class. 

Since then, three commits have officially shut down their recruitments, including Corona Centennial (Calif.) four-star receiver Quentin Hale, Hamilton (Ariz.) four-star receiver Roye Oliver III and Hamilton Christian Academy (La.) three-star running back Javon Vital Jr., and they are just the latest. 

USC landed a big-time commitment from San Diego (Calif.) Cathedral Catholic five-star athlete Honor Fa’alave-Johnson in March, but that didn’t stop other programs from continuing to pursue him, most notably Texas. 

The Trojans responded by sending five staff members down to San Diego to meet with the Fa’alave-Johnson on May 12, and the five-star recruit announced later that day he was shutting down his recruitment. Fa'alave-Johnson's primary position will be safety, but the two-way star is also expected to play on offense as well.

Mater Dei (Calif.) four-star cornerback Danny Lang was another massive commitment in March. Oregon and Ohio State tried to flip the top 100 prospect, but Lang announced in mid-May that his recruitment was shut down. 

Mater Dei (Calif.) 2027 cornerback and USC Trojans commit Danny Lang | USC Trojans on SI

“I feel like with the ‘26 class being big, I feel like the ‘27 class is also going to add onto that,” Lang said in May. “Bringing some powerhouse kids — Honor, J.O. (Aaryn Washington), Q (Quentin Hale), and much more. It's gonna be special for sure.”

Lang’s former high school teammate, IMG Academy (Fla.) four-star cornerback Aaryn Washington, has been adamant about his pledge with the Trojans. He was the first commit in the 2027 class. 

Damien (Calif.) four-star safety Gavin Williams completed an impressive recruiting class in the secondary when he announced his pledge on May 17, effectively shutting down his recruitment. The same goes for Oaks Christian (Calif.) four-star defensive lineman Alifeleti Tuihalamaka, who committed on May 2. 

Stacking Back-to-Back Elite Recruiting Classes

USC Trojans general manager Chad Bowden hired from Notre Dame Fighting Irish | USC Trojans Video Youtube

The best way to build an elite roster is still through elite-level recruiting at the high school level, and that’s exactly what USC is doing under general manager Chad Bowden. 

After signing 35 recruits in their No. 1 class in the 2026 cycle, the 2027 class is much smaller but is still filled with top prospects, and most importantly, it features a ton of local prospects. 

The Trojans hold a commitment from five of the 10 overall recruits from California, according to 247Sports. No other program has more than one. USC also has eight commits that are top 100 prospects, which includes Greenwich County Day (Conn.) five-star edge Mekai Brown, the second-most in the country. 

Southern Cal may not finish incredibly high in the recruiting rankings, simply for the fact that they are only going to take about 15-16 recruits, but it’s certainly not lacking high-quality blue-chip prospects. 

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