USC will again be in contention for nation’s No. 1 recruiting class

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Following its first No. 1 overall recruiting class in two decades, USC is looking for a repeat.

The Trojans nearly led wire-to-wire in the 2026 cycle and ultimately signed seven prospects who ranked among the top 60 recruits nationally. With that in the rearview, they’ve turned up the heat on their top 2027 prospects and again have one of the country’s premier recruiting classes.

That class got even better Saturday afternoon with the commitment of five-star San Diego (Calif.) Mater Dei Catholic athlete Honor Fa’alave-Johnson. The 6-foot, 180-pounder chose the Trojans over Oregon, Texas, Notre Dame, Miami and LSU, among more than 30 other offers.

“It’s something that I was born with — staying loyal to where I’m from,” Fa’alave-Johnson recently told Rivals. “There’s no reason to change anything. All the stuff is still coming my way so why change? I could go to LA and put on from where I’m from and put on for the city.”

His addition is major on multiple fronts, but it’s a huge early boost to the Trojans’ overall 2027 class, which came into the day ranked No. 14 in the Rivals Industry Team Recruiting Rankings. With Fa’alave-Johnson in the fold, they move all the way up to No. 7 — past Miami, Oregon, Nebraska, Texas, Ole Miss, South Carolina and Nebraska.

Lincoln Riley and Co. have two top-100 players committed in the secondary, as well as two of the country’s premier receivers. With only five commitments in total, they’re also tied for the lowest number of pledges among top-10 teams, signaling the quality of their start to this cycle.

USC Trojans commitments by position

Wide receiver
Four-star Quentin Hale, No. 57 NATL. (No. 11 WR)
Four-star Eli Woodard, No. 328 NATL. (No. 43 WR)

Defensive line
Three-star Isaia Vandermade, No. 792 NATL. (No. 84 DL)

Cornerback
Four-star Aaryn Washington, No. 87 NATL. (No. 11 CB)

Athlete
Five-star Honor Fa’alave-Johnson, No. 18 NATL. (No. 1 ATH)

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