March 14 is the day five-star talent Honor Fa’alave Johnson would commit to his choice program and evict the rest of his six finalists. While the whole of college football awaits words from the horse’s mouth, one program is a trending favorite. Acting as his forerunner, a West Coast recruiting analyst has gone ahead of the two-way talent to proclaim his message.

“USC’s been doing a really good job trying to make those SoCal guys a top priority, and I think Fa’alave Johnson is clearly very high on their board. It’s really swung in favor of USC. And I think that just reading between the lines, you can definitely see that,” Max Torres said on Rivals’ Inside Scoop YouTube show.

The Rivals Recruiting Prediction Machine gave USC an 83.9% chance of landing one of the nation’s most coveted prospects. But that hasn’t been enough to ward off the other five universities. With a meager 13.9% chance of landing him, the Oregon Ducks are doing everything possible to ensure he commits before the year runs out.

“Honor Fa’alave Johnson does have that top six that I believe he released in January or February. But this really looks like it’s USC or Oregon at the top of his recruitment. I do believe that those are the two programs that he’s been to the most during his process. And after this one was really looking like Oregon’s to lose, or at least, the Ducks were in a really good spot around this time last year.

“Certainly doesn’t help that Fa’alave Johnson was scheduled to take an unofficial visit out to Eugene to see an Oregon spring practice this weekend, and now he’s going to be announcing his college commitment. I don’t think this one’s going to be landing in Eugene for Oregon right now, but maybe this is one that they keep chipping away at, and we’re maybe saying something a little bit different in December here. This is a guy that Oregon definitely wants, but we’re still kind of early in the 2027 class. So, we’ll see.”

The Ducks aren’t to blame for their desperation. A program that has no safety or five-star commit in its 2027 recruiting class should not see a complete package, like Faálave Johnson, and not be desperate. Faálave Johnson does not just hold the fastest max speed ever recorded in a live high school game; he is also a versatile two-way athlete who is effective on both the offense and the defense and will bring something different to what the Ducks already have.

Alongside the Ducks, the Texas Longhorns, the LSU Tigers, the Miami Hurricanes, and the Notre Dame Fighting Irish are also in the competition to land Fa’alave Johnson.

Why Honor Fa’alave Johnson is choosing the USC Trojans

A five-star athlete needs a five-star program to take him to the next level. And four unofficial visits to Southern California were all Johnson needed to be convinced that USC was the right destination for him. The program’s outstanding recruitment, his relationship with the coaching staff, the program’s proximity to his home, and the team’s progress under Lincoln Riley have all aligned to favor a USC move for Fa’alave Johnson.

Ranked as the nation’s No. 1 athlete, Fa’alave Johnson’s high school record was dazzling on both sides of the ball, rushing on the offense for 150 times for 1,532 yards and 23 touchdowns in the backfield and catching 35 passes for 564 yards and seven touchdowns. On the defense, he made 40 tackles, three interceptions, and a forced fumble.

Having his high school, his home, and college in Southern California would make settling in seamless for him. While a few other programs also boast of a talented recruitment class and a promising future, USC, being Johnson’s childhood favorite, has given it a huge advantage here.

His decision to cancel other visits after March 14 seems like a move from USC Trojans’ GM Chad Bowden to distance Johnson from other suitors, as all fingers point to the Trojans as Fa’alave Johnson’s sure destination.