USC beats out Notre Dame, UCLA for 4-star safety commit

USC football loaded up its 2027 recruiting class already with five-star Honor Fa’alave-Johnson. But head coach Lincoln Riley and the Trojans pulled off one more College Football Recruiting win Sunday. This time beating out Notre Dame and UCLA for four-star safety Gavin Williams.

Williams made his decision official in front of a live stream featuring family and close friends. Yet USC started building momentum for the Damien High standout out of La Verne, California during May.

Members of the USC staff flew by helicopter to visit Williams on his high school campus nearly 10 days ago. The Trojans are using the NCAA Spring Evaluation period to their advantage by turning to unique recruiting methods in winning over recruits. The chopper rises as one brand new big recruiting sale.

Williams now fills a position of need for USC. The Trojans lost Kamari Ramsey to the 2026 NFL Draft and need a safety of the future. Granted, Fa’alave-Johnson brings a stout background at the spot. But he could even contend for wide receiver or running back given hi explosive nature at those spots.

Williams brings a natural safety feel over to Los Angeles. He’s best known for forcing six fumbles during his prep career while grabbing 11 total interceptions.

He turns down not one but three different USC rivals for the Trojans. The Fighting Irish heavily recruited him before USC won. Even crosstown rival UCLA is reigniting its own recruiting efforts and nearly won over Williams. Washington out of the Big Ten became a third potential suitor before Williams shut his recruitment down.

The post USC beats out Notre Dame, UCLA for 4-star safety commit appeared first on ClutchPoints.