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USC’s Helicopter Visit to 4-Star Gavin Williams Highlights Damien Football’s Recruiting Surge

USC’s viral helicopter visit for four-star safety Gavin Williams turned heads nationally, but Damien High School’s college showcase also revealed a rapidly growing Division I pipeline featuring freshman defensive back Christian “Cai” Wallace and a secondary nearing all-D-I status.
Roland Padilla|
USC’s aggressive recruiting approach has drawn national attention after the Trojans arrived by helicopter to visit four-star Damien High School safety Gavin Williams during the Spartans’ college showcase event.
USC’s aggressive recruiting approach has drawn national attention after the Trojans arrived by helicopter to visit four-star Damien High School safety Gavin Williams during the Spartans’ college showcase event. | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

The helicopter became the headline.

But inside Damien High School’s football program, coaches believe the bigger story is what happened around it.

This week, USC made national headlines after arriving by helicopter to visit four-star safety Gavin Williams (CA's No. 1 ranked Safety) during the Spartans’ college showcase event, instantly turning a local recruiting stop into one of the most talked-about moments in California high school football this spring. He has currently made his final list and it includes two storied programs, USC and Notre Dame.

Videos and photos of the visit spread rapidly across social media as fans and recruiting analysts reacted to USC’s dramatic entrance. The message from the Trojans was impossible to miss: Williams is a major priority.

“Yeah they wanted to land on field but couldn’t get it cleared,” Williams told me. “But yeah it means a lot for them to do and feel like priority and I’m getting to end of my recruitment with teams like USC [and] Notre Dame at the top.”

For most programs, a helicopter entrance would feel excessive.

For Damien, it felt symbolic.

Because while Williams was the centerpiece of the attention, the showcase itself also highlighted how rapidly the Spartans are evolving into a legitimate Division I recruiting pipeline.

According to Damien coach James Stewart, nearly 30 college coaches came through campus during and after the showcase, with programs from across the West Coast evaluating talent throughout the roster.

“In 2022, the traffic wasn’t what it was now,” Stewart said.

That difference has become increasingly noticeable over the past year as Damien’s depth has improved across multiple position groups, particularly in the secondary and along the offensive line.

Williams remains the headliner.

But internally, Damien coaches believe the bigger development may be how many other Spartans are now beginning to attract Division I attention.

The showcase helped several players generate recruiting momentum, including freshman defensive back Christian Wallace, better known around the program as Cai.

Shortly after the showcase, Wallace picked up his first Division I offer from Notre Dame, another sign that major national programs are beginning to evaluate Damien differently.

“None of us around Cai are surprised,” Stewart said.

Stewart said Wallace was one of several players who stood out during showcase drills and competition periods as college coaches moved throughout campus evaluating prospects.

And according to Stewart, much of that offensive line development traces back to assistant coach Jose Flores, whom he called his “right-hand man.”

“The shield has helped a lot,” Stewart said. “Flores is my right-hand man. He’s helping a lot with the recruiting.” The shield is a youth team / program ran and hosted by Damien with the intent to build the pipeline for potential incoming prospects and it is starting to slowly but surely pay off.

Stewart believes the Spartans’ offensive line group is on pace to become “the best it’s been in years,” a statement that reflects how dramatically Damien’s trenches have improved recently.

That progress is beginning to show up across the entire roster.

Stewart noted that Damien is now close to having an entire defensive back group with Division I offers, a remarkable development for a program that, just a few years ago, was not generating this level of recruiting traffic.

Several other Spartans are beginning to emerge as well.

Isaiah Teran, class of 2027, has drawn interest from University of Nevada, Las Vegas and Colorado State University, while Fresno State has also been involved evaluating Damien talent. Hew boasts 10.9 track speed which is an easy sell to college coaches across the nation and creates a sense of excitement of what is to come next.

Dupri Stevenson-Dorsey has reportedly generated strong interest from Washington State Cougars, while Stewart also pointed toward other freshman that are already getting tons of eyeballs on them

And perhaps most impressively, Stewart believes Damien’s younger groups may eventually surpass the current classes.

“The ’29 class is in a great spot and maybe even ahead of schedule to where we initially thought,” he said.

He also noted that Damien’s quarterback, Anthony Randolph (Class of 2029), has already begun drawing early Division I attention, including an offer from San Jose State Spartans and University of Utah looking to get ready to take the next step. He has also had an offer from SMU for almost a year now.

Another marquee recruit is track and field and football sensation Malachi McFarland who is only ranked as a 3-star currently but with 10.3 track speed potential, there are a lot of coaches chomping at the bit to add him to their roster.McFarland ranks 24th in CA in the 100-meter dash with a season best of 10.45 with room to improve as we head into the postseason. (Here is a 99 yard TD run he had last season agaisnt St. Paul highlighting his speed and explosivity)

That’s why USC’s helicopter visit resonated beyond the viral clips.

Yes, it created headlines.

Yes, it generated social media buzz.

But within Damien’s football offices, it also represented validation that the program is entering a different tier of recruiting visibility altogether.

Programs are no longer stopping by campus simply to evaluate one player.

They are evaluating an entire roster, a growing pipeline and a program that coaches believe is only beginning to scratch the surface of what it can become.

And while Gavin Williams may currently be the face of Damien football’s recruiting rise, the Spartans believe the wave behind him is only getting bigger.

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Roland Padilla
ROLAND PADILLA

Roland Padilla is a high school sports journalist, NIL specialist, and analytics strategist covering primarily West Coast track and field, basketball, and football for High School On SI. He began his career in 2015 reporting on Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook’s Thunder era for ClutchPoints before moving into full NBA coverage. He later worked directly with the founder/CEO of Ballervisions, shortly leading programming and cross-platform social strategy during its viral 2016 rise covering the Ball brothers—a run that helped propel the brand toward its eventual ESPN acquisition and evolution into SportsCenter NEXT. A three-sport alumnus and current throwing coach at Damien High School, and a former NCAA track athlete at UC San Diego, Roland blends athlete-development knowledge with advanced analytics in his role as a Senior Analyst at DAZN and Team Whistle. He has supported content strategy for major global and U.S. sports properties including World Rugby, FIFA Club World Cup, the New York Mets, MLS, X Games, the Premier League, the NFL, and the Downs2Business podcast. With a strong background in NIL rules, athlete branding, and recruiting, Roland helps families, athletes, and readers navigate the rapidly changing high school sports landscape—bringing national-level storytelling and clarity to the next generation of athletes.

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