Santa Margarita will have a heavy footprint at USC’s season opener on Saturday, and the Trinity League powerhouse is sending a group that gives the Trojans a close look at some of their most important future targets.
The headliner is freshman linebacker Aydan Steen, a 2030 recruit who flashed right away in his first high school game with three sacks and 10 tackles. A source around Santa Margarita had already pointed to him as part of the reason the defense looked better at linebacker during a passing league performance in July. Steen’s connection to USC goes back a long way - he landed an offer from the Trojans in eighth grade, worked out with the staff in June, and now returns to campus for the Week 0 matchup against San José State.
Steen won’t be the only young Santa Margarita player in the building. Receiver Kiyan Callis and defensive back KJ Herndon also received USC offers in eighth grade. Herndon’s offer list is already piling up, with Miami, Ole Miss, Oregon, Texas A&M and Texas Tech among the programs in the mix early.
The Santa Margarita ties to USC run deeper than this visiting group. Former Trojans quarterback and Heisman Trophy winner Carson Palmer is now the head coach at his alma mater, after guiding the school to a state championship in his first season in 2025. Former USC offensive lineman Lenny Vandermade serves as the offensive coordinator.
USC already has five players from Santa Margarita on its current roster. Three came out of that state title team and signed in the 2026 class: receiver Trent Mosley, defensive end Simote Katoanga and cornerback Jayden Crowder. Redshirt freshman offensive tackle Elijah Vaikona is also from the school, along with redshirt senior center Kilian O’Connor, who will miss the entire year after a season-ending injury in fall camp.
Saturday’s crowd will also include 2027 three-star defensive lineman and USC commit Isaia Vandermade, one of several 2027 pledges making another trip to campus to get more comfortable with the program before arriving in the spring.
USC’s 2028 board is getting attention too, and four-star cornerback Ca’ron “Prime" Williams remains a major priority. He’s been on campus often since his freshman year, and this visit will be at least his fourth of the calendar year. Williams has built a strong relationship with cornerbacks coach Trovon Reed.
Another local name to watch is 2028 three-star running back Jaion “Duce” a Smith, who earned a dream offer from USC after a workout in June. He’s also the cousin of former Trojans All-Conference cornerback Jaylin Smith.
USC is set to have plenty of local talent on hand at the Coliseum, along with a chance to show off the new Bloom Football Performance Center. But among all the schools represented in Week 0, none will have more of a presence than Santa Margarita.
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USCs New Defensive Duo Faces Immediate Pressure To Deliver
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Jontez Williams and Chasen Johnson have both pointed to that chemistry and leadership as reasons for confidence heading into the opener, and the pressure is immediate because USC does not have much time to wait for the defense to show it can hold up. The schedule offers a bigger measuring stick soon enough, too, with the Oct. 10 road trip to Penn State set for a 4:30 p.m. PT kickoff on NBC and Peacock, a game that will say a lot about how far this new-look defensive setup has come. [Read more 🡒]