USC HC Lincoln Riley makes in-home visit to 4-star CB commit Marcelles Williams

The in-home visit period of the recruiting cycle is underway with National Signing Day less than three weeks away. This weekend, USC head coach Lincoln Riley hit the road to see one of the Trojans’ centerpiece pledges in the 2024 cycle.

Riley and new Trojans defensive coordinator D’Anton Lynn stopped in to see Bellflower (Calif.) St. John Bosco four-star cornerback Marcelles Williams.

Great home visit today✌🏾! @LincolnRiley @uscfb pic.twitter.com/Hwx4E8q9uh

— Marcelles Williams (@cellesthegreat1) December 3, 2023

Williams is the nation’s No. 100 overall prospect and No. 13 corner in the 2024 cycle, according to the On3 Industry Ranking, a weighted average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies. He’s also the No. 11 player in California.

He committed to the Trojans on June 18, choosing them over UCLA and Oklahoma.

“It was just home and the relationship I had built with Coach Donte was second to none,” Williams told On3 upon his commitment. “USC is on the rise and watch out these next couple years.”

Williams is one of 18 commits in USC’s 2024 recruiting class — which ranks No. 18 in the nation, according to the On3 Industry Team Recruiting Rankings. He’s the third highest-ranked commit in the class, behind Los Angeles Sierra Canyon four-star wide receiver Xavier Jordan and Clearwater (Fla.) International Academy four-star interior offensive lineman Jason Zandamela.

“In my eyes, there are athletes who can play corner and there are guys who are naturally built for the position. Williams is naturally built for it. He is extremely instinctual and much more physical than your average cornerback,” WeAreSC’s Marshall Levenson wrote of Williams. “You would be hard pressed to find someone who is better at mirroring receivers and staying in phase, even in complex routes or extended plays.

…I think the main thing that stood out for me in this film is a healthy mix of man and zone coverage and his ability to excel in both. I tend to lean that man is his strongest simply because it requires more skill, but playing zone can make players look like they got beat, and he doesn’t look like that. He doesn’t need to cheat one way, he can stay true to his read and has his eyes locked on the quarterback.”

Williams has an On3 NIL Valuation of $132K. The On3 NIL Valuation is the industry’s leading index that sets high school and college athletes’ projected annual value (PAV). The NIL valuation does not act as a tracker of the value of NIL deals an athlete has completed to date. It rather signifies an athlete’s value at a certain moment in time.