USC Flashes Innovative Recruiting Edge During Visit With Four-Star Gavin Williams

USC is taking recruiting to another level. Nearby Damien (Calif.) high school held its college showcase on Wednesday, and three USC staff members -- assistant general manager Dre Brown, director of recruiting Weston Zernechel and safeties coach Paul Gonzales -- used a helicopter to visit four-star safety Gavin Williams.

Damien is less than 40 miles from campus, but using a helicopter is the easiest way for the Trojans to beat the grueling Southern California traffic. And with the program continuing to put an emphasis on recruiting top prospects in their backyard, it could be something they use more often in the future.

Williams, the No. 86 overall prospect and No. 6 safety, is a high priority target for USC in the 2027 cycle as they put the finishing touches on its No. 3 recruiting class according to 247Sports.

Sending two key personnel staff members, their safeties coach, and arriving on a helicopter is a key indicator of where the local two-way star sits on the Trojans board during this pivotal recruiting period.

Recruitment of Four-Star Safety Gavin Williams

Williams is down to four finalists, which include USC, Notre Dame, Washington and UCLA. He has official visits scheduled with all four schools, but that doesn't necessarily mean he's going to take those visits.

Things are moving very quickly for Williams, who could be very close to making a decision. Williams visited Southern Cal three times last fall, Trojans coach Lincoln Riley paid him a home visit in January, and then Williams attended two spring practices. Williams has had the opportunity to bond with Gonzales, who replaced former secondary coach Doug Belk, his original primary recruiter, in January.

Southern Cal already holds commitments from San Diego (Calif.) Cathedral Catholic five-star athlete Honor Fa'alave-Johnson, who will play on both sides of the ball with one being safety, IMG Academy (Fla.) four-star cornerback Aaryn Washington and Mater Dei (Calif.) four-star cornerback Danny Lang in its secondary.

All top 100 recruits from Southern California and Washington played at Mater Dei the previous three seasons. Williams would complete the Trojans recruiting class in the secondary.

The 6-1, 180-pound Williams is a true center fielder who can change the game at any moment because of his elite ball skills. His receiver background translates to him playing in the secondary, and Williams can cover a ton of ground in a hurry. He's a tremendous athlete who plays very well in space, whether it's tackling or in coverage.

USC Trojans' 2027 Recruiting Class

In addition to Fa'alave-Johnson, Washington and Lang, the Trojans hold commitments from four other top 100 prospects in Greenwich County Day (Conn.) five-star edge Mekai Brown, Corona Centennial (Calif.) four-star receiver Quentin Hale, Servite (Calif.) four-star offensive tackle Drew Fielder and Hamilton (Ariz.) four-star receiver Roye Oliver III, who reclassified earlier this month.

USC has the second-most commitments from the top 100 prospects according to 247Sports. Only Oklahoma has more. In total, the Trojans hold 13 commitments, nine of which come from California.

A year after landing the No. 1 class in the 2026 cycle, Riley is stacking a second consecutive elite recruiting class.

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This article was originally published on www.si.com/college/usc as USC Flashes Innovative Recruiting Edge During Visit With Four-Star Gavin Williams .

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This story was originally published May 7, 2026 at 9:02 AM.