USC Trojans Trending Towards Another Recruiting Win

USC coach Lincoln Riley and the Trojans hosted Vital back in January as the program continues to bring juniors on campus to start the recruiting process early and often. Spring commitments have become a trend under USC general manager Chad Bowden, and the Trojans could be locking in another piece rather soon.

According to Spiegelman, the finalists for Vital are Kentucky, LSU, Houston, and Ole Miss in addition to USC.

Javon Vital's Recruiting Profile

A multi-sport athlete, Vital competes in the long jump and the triple jump, a sign of his athletic ability. In his sophomore year on the basketball court, Vital averaged 14.2 points, 9.8 rebounds, and 5.2 assists with Hamilton Christian.

Football highlights from his junior year show Vital lining up as quarterback in the shotgun, running a read option and taking off as a ball carrier. He's can break tackles and elude defenders, and he also has breakaway speed as seen in his longer runs. He flashes as a rusher and as a wide receiver, even, and he has a punt return as the first of his highlight reel.

247Sports lists Vital as a wide receiver, but Rivals has him as a running back recruit. According to Rivals' rankings, he is a three-star prospect ranked No. 564 overall and No. 42 among running backs.

Standing at 5-9, 185, Vital's size likely projects as a running back, although his ability to catch passes out of the backfield would be a weapon in Riley's offense at USC.

USC Trojans 2027 Recruiting Class

• Honor Fa'alave-Johnson, 5-star safety
• Quentin Hale, 4-star wide receiver
• Danny Lang, 4-star cornerback
• Aaryn Washington, 4-star cornerback
• Eli Woodard, 4-star wide receiver
• Isaia Vandermade, 3-star offensive lineman

USC is unlikely to sign a big class like the 35 commitments in the 2026 cycle, but the Trojans still have a number of targets on the board like four-star tight end Charles Davis, who is currently visiting with the team in Southern California.

Riley and the Trojans have increased their focus on local recruits, landing guys like Fa'alave-Johnson, Hale, and Lang from California. Additionally, Washington started his high school career at Mater Dei in Southern California before transferring to IMG Academy in Bradenton, Florida.

Washington is not the first prospect to make that move. In fact, USC freshman offensive lineman Keenyi Pepe played at IMG Academy after growing up on the West Coast, and the former five-star stuck with his commitment to the Trojans. Pepe is an early enrollee with USC, and Washington's move to IMG could help him follow a similar path towards becoming an immediate contributor on the team.

Meanwhil, the Trojans coaches have also been targeting Oregon Ducks offensive lineman Drew Fielder for a potential flip. Fielder is

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