USC Recruiting Target Danny Lang Makes Notable Commitment Change

When general manager Chad Bowden joined the staff last season, one school he made sure to target recruits from was Mater Dei and the Trojans have made it very clear from the start that Lang is a high priority for them. 

Lang lives close to USC and has been a frequent visitor on campus since last spring. He was at the Coliseum four times in the fall, which also included attending practice twice ahead of the Trojans regular season finale against UCLA. 

The local product attended three practices during the Trojans first week of spring football. His first visit saw him arrive on campus with his dad at 6 am and talk with numerous people on the staff. Lang has a very strong relationship with the cornerbacks coach Trovon Reed. He's been attached to coach during his visits to practice.

Lang’s latest visit came last Wednesday night, which included a walk around the Coliseum at sunset and a special video message on the Jumbotron from his former Mater Dei teammates. The Trojans signed four players from the national powerhouse in tight end Mark Bowman, receiver Kayden Dixon-Wyatt, defensive lineman Tomuhini Topui and linebacker Shaun Scott. 

Southern Cal did a similar visit for Bowman, Topui, as well freshman linebacker Talanoa Ili. All three visits saw their recruitment’s dramatically shift in the Trojans direction after the visit. 

Lang is the latest West Coast recruiting battle between USC and Oregon and all signs point to Lang remaining home in Southern California.

2027 Recruiting Class 

After entering the year without a commit in the 2027 cycle, the Trojans recruiting has begun to ramp up. They continue to put an emphasis on keeping elite talent in their backyard from leaving the state. 

IMG Academy (Fla.) four-star cornerback Aaryn Washington was the Trojans commit for this current class, when he announced his pledge during the Navy All-American Bowl in January. 

Before transferring to IMG that same month, he starred alongside Lang at Mater Dei. 

Chaparral (Calif.) four-star receiver Eli Woodard, Santa Margarita (Calif.) three-star defensive lineman Isaia Vandermade and Corona Centennial (Calif.) four-star receiver Quentin Hale soon followed with commitments in February. 

Similar to Mater Dei, the Trojans have built a recruiting pipeline with another Trinity League power in Santa Margarita, signing three players from their Open Division state championship team in receiver Trent Mosley, defensive end Simote Katoanga and cornerback Jayden Crowder. The Eagles are under the direction of USC Heisman Trophy winning quarterback Carson Palmer.

The Trojans latest commitment and perhaps their biggest one of the 2027 class when they landed San Diego (Calif.) Cathedral five-star athlete Honor Fa’alave-Johnson. The two-way star is the top-ranked player in California. 

USC owns the No. 7 recruiting class, per the Rivals Industry Team Recruiting Rankings and the No. 12 class, per the 247Sports Composite Rankings.