Oct 1, 2022; Los Angeles, California, USA; USC Trojans head coach Lincoln Riley applauds after a touchdown in the first half against the Arizona State Sun Devils at United Airlines Field at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

USC Trojans Battling Rivals For Elite In-State Defensive Back Recruit

Originally posted on USC Trojans on SI
By Gabriel Duarte | Last updated Aug 14, 2025 4:00 PM ET

The USC Trojans have began turning their attention to the 2027 recruiting cycle, and it's been paying off. After reeling in one of the top recruiting classes in the 2026 cycle, the Trojans have began to emerge as serious contenders for a handful of top in-state prospects.

Four-star safety Khalil Terry was a Michigan State commit prior to backing off his pledge earlier this summer. Since his decommitment, the Trojans have gone all in on trying to keep the California native in-state.

Trojans Emerging As Contender For Four-Star Safety

Terry spoke with Rivals about the status of his recruitment following his June decommitment from Michigan State. He said USC has began to emerge as one of the top teams in his recruitment.

“I go up there a lot now. I’m starting to like them a lot more than I did at first. At first, I didn’t really like them as much. As I started to like them more and building that relationship, we’ve been getting closer and closer every day. I didn’t like them so much because I liked UCLA a lot more. But now it’s evening out because they’ve been showing me a lot of love," Terry said.

The No. 21 safety and No. 213 player in the country according to 247Sports Composite rankings, Terry is one of the best defensive backs in California. It makes sense why the Trojans have been aggressively targeting Terry. In their 2026 recruiting class, USC was able to bring in three California defensive back recruits.

UCLA has been active in Terry's recruitment since the arrivial of their secondary coach Demetrice Martin, who was apart of the Michigan State coaching staff when Terry pledged there. Martin played a huge role as the main recruiter in Michigan State's pursuit for Terry.

Rivals' Recruiting Prediction Machine gives USC the edge in Terry's recruitment. The RPM gives the Trojans an 18.9 percent chance of landing the four-star safety.

Trojans Pursuit of In-State Defensive Back Recruits

USC's success in recruiting 2026 in-state defensive back recruits has left it's mark in a big way. It's one of the reasons why the Trojans are leading for a handful of 2027 defensive back recruits.

In addition to Terry, USC is leading for four-star defensive back Duvay Williams. The No. 3 cornerback and No. 18 player in the country according to 247Sports rankings, Williams holds offers from programs like the Georgia Bulldogs and Texas A&M Aggies in addition to USC.

The Trojans are also hevily involved in the recruitment of four-star safety Honor Fa'alave-Johnson. The No. 3 safety and No. 38 player in the country, Fa'alave-Johnson is one of the top two-way players in the cycle, but the Trojans have been targeting him for the defensive side of the ball.

This article first appeared on USC Trojans on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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