USC’s recruiting momentum in the secondary got a boost on Aug. 27 when Ca’ron “Prime” Williams unveiled his top 12 schools, and the Trojans were right in the mix.
The Santa Margarita (Calif.) junior is down to USC, LSU, Washington, UCLA, Texas, California, Texas A&M, Miami, Notre Dame, Ohio State, Oregon, and Oklahoma, according to the reveal posted by On3’s Hayes Fawcett on X. Williams had previously collected 25 offers, per 247 Sports.
Williams didn’t exactly hide which programs are standing out most at the moment.
“I like all 12 of those schools honestly,” Williams told On3’s Greg Biggins. “The ones I’m feeling the most are probably Oregon, USC, Notre Dame, Miami, LSU, and Ohio State. I’m going to be taking game-day visits to all of those schools and just working out the dates right now.”
A 5-11, 170-pound defensive back, Williams is rated a four-star prospect and sits at No. 17 among corner backs and No. 171 overall in the class of 2028, per the 247 Sports Composite.
He’s already made one of his two scheduled game-day trips to USC. That visit came this past Saturday, when No. 14 USC opened the season with a 42-26 win over San José State.
Williams has been a major local target for Lincoln Riley’s staff, joining a group that also includes four-stars Derrick Coleman Jr., Jalen Flowers, and Jordan Hicks, along with five-star commit Trey Wright.
USC does appear to have a few things working in its favor. Santa Margarita head coach Carson Palmer and offensive coordinator Lenny Vandermade both played for the Trojans, Williams grew up rooting for USC, and he has built a strong relationship with cornerbacks coach Trovon Reed. That makes him a clear priority for the Trojans.
Williams also told Biggins he’ll be back in Los Angeles on Halloween, when USC hosts No. 1 Ohio State. That second game-day visit could end up carrying serious weight in his decision.
For now, though, Williams is still making his presence felt on the field. On Friday night against favored Corona (Calif.) Centennial, he delivered the biggest play of the game with a 30-yard pick six.
That’s been a familiar storyline for the Huskies. Since his freshman year, when colleges first started paying close attention, Williams has repeatedly caused problems for Corona Centennial’s offense.
Five of his six career interceptions have come against Centennial, including three in his sophomore season alone. That year, Santa Margarita met the Huskies twice - once in a regular-season overtime game and again in the CIF-Southern Section Div. 1 championship. In the regular-season meeting, Williams picked off two passes.
On Friday, Centennial erased a 14-0 deficit and pulled even before Williams’ third-quarter touchdown return swung the game back to Santa Margarita. The Huskies answered with a fourth-quarter score, but their PAT was blocked, and the Eagles held on for a 21-20 win over the No. 4 team in the Super 25.
Williams is now 4-0 against Corona Centennial, and this won’t be the last time those two sides see each other.
If USC can land high-end local talent like Williams, it would give Riley’s 2028 class another jolt. Right now, Trey Wright is the lone commit, and adding a player with Williams’ profile would strengthen the group significantly.
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