Nation's No. 1 Athlete Trending Toward Big Ten Powerhouse After Top Six Emerges

College football's early signing day for the 2027 recruiting class isn't until December, but that doesn't mean top recruits aren't already trying to figure out where they stand.

One recruit that is approaching a commitment decision also happens to be one of the best players in the country, five-star Honor Fa'alave-Johnson. The Cathedral Catholic product (San Diego, CA) is planning to announce his commitment on March 14, and is reportedly deciding between Miami, USC, Texas, LSU, Oregon and Notre Dame.

With nearly 40 scholarship offers and speed that has seen him clocked at 22.8 miles per hour, Fa'alave-Johnson can truly go wherever he wants. With that being said, three recruiting insiders from Rivals inserted predictions that have him slated to end up at USC.

USC is trending heavily to land 5-star ATH Honor Fa’alave-Johnson, according to the Rivals Recruiting Prediction Machine✌️

Honor will announce his commitment on March 14⏳

Read: https://t.co/VPGZeeia4N pic.twitter.com/QrLOenkCCC
— Rivals (@Rivals) March 11, 2026

The Trojans currently have the No. 13 class in the country with four commits. As the program looks to return to college football prominence, they have emerged as one of the biggest spenders in the sport.

USC signed the No. 1 class in the country this past cycle, signing seven players who ranked within the top 55. They were also able to bring in the No. 1 overall recruit in the country in five-star EDGE, Luke Wafle.

Southern California Trojans head coach Lincoln Riley. — Southern California Trojans head coach Lincoln Riley watches in the first half. | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

In an interview with 247Sports' Blair Angulo, Fa'alave-Johnson revealed that even he didn't know what his plans were up until recently.

"If you asked me a few weeks ago, I wouldn't have known where I wanted to be and I would have probably told you I was going to take more time," Fa'alave-Johnson said to 247Sports. "But after really weighing everything out and figuring out where I'm at with the process, it made more and more sense to just shut things down now.

Fa'alave-Johnson is one of the most dynamic players in the country and could be a two-way star at the next level if he chooses. This past season saw him rush for 1,532 yards (11.9 YPC) and 23 touchdowns, while also catching 35 passes for 564 yards and seven touchdowns on offense. Defensively, he had 40 tackles, a forced fumble and three interceptions.

Things can always change when it comes to high school recruiting, but USC's hot streak on the trail seems to be well and alive as Lincoln Riley looks to lead the program to its first-ever College Football Playoff appearance in 2026.

If they do land Fa'alave-Johnson, the expectation is that there will be an avalanche of blue-chip recruits who follow. For Riley who is seemingly under more pressure by the minute, adding more talent should only help him turn things around.