USC football: Donte Williams' relationship with 2026 prospect leads to 'high interest'

University City (San Diego) athlete/cornerback Tay Lockett has received scholarship offers from some of the top programs in the country, including USC

USC cornerbacks coach Donte Williams has a reputation for being a great recruiter. One reason for that is Williams' ability to evaluate young talent.

Class of 2026 University City (San Diego) athlete/cornerback Tay Lockett has received scholarship offers from some of the top programs in the country, including USC.

In a conversation with 247Sports.com's Greg Biggins, Lockett mentioned that his relationship with Williams, which dates back to his middle school days, is one of the reason he's considering the Trojans. 

“I’ve known Donte Williams since 8th grade and we’re real close," he said. "He’s a great coach and I’ve worked with him in the past and he showed me some new techniques that I’ve used. He’s a guy that I feel I can talk to about anything, not just football. I’ve been to USC games before and attended their prospect days so I definitely have high interest there.”

USC's 2023 high school recruiting class ranked eighth nationally, but the Trojans staff struggled to land premier in state prospects on defense. By the time the 2026 recruiting rankings come together, it's likely that Lockett will be one of California's blue-chippers. Building a relationship early on could pay dividends for USC.

CLASS OF 2024 UPDATE

In the current recruiting cycle, USC is hosting 12 official visitors this weekend. The group features two cornerbacks in four-star Serra (Gardena, Calif.) CB Dakoda Fields and four-star Mater Dei (Santa Ana, Calif.) CB Zabien Brown.

Williams is heavily involved in both recruitments. Landing one of the two prospects would be big for USC, especially with Fields considered an Oregon lean. 

Williams will have the opportunity to wow both prospects this weekend. It will be interesting to see how their recruitments shake out afterwards.