USC football coach Lincoln Riley at Mater Dei, St. John Bosco game to watch top recruits

St. John Bosco and Mater Dei, the nation's top two high school football teams, are squaring off Friday night in one of the biggest prep games of the past decade.

The contest, which features more than 70 Division I football prospects, will showcase players who collectively hold scholarship offers in the triple digits. 

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Unsurprisingly, USC Trojans head coach Lincoln Riley and defensive back coach Donte Williams, a key California recruiter, were spotted on the sideline taking in warm-ups prior to kickoff.

According to SBLive Sports reporter Connor Morrissette, Riley was paying particularly close attention to St. John Bosco five-star edge-rusher Matayo Uiagalelei, a key USC target in the 2023 recruiting class:

But the game features plenty of potential future Trojans, including five-star safety Peyton Woodyard, five-star running back Jordon Davison, five-star edge-rusher Nasir Wyatt, elite quarterback Elijah Brown and nationally-recruited offensive lineman DeAndre Carter and Brandon Baker. 

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Early in his tenure, Riley has made California a key priority, securing commitments from elite Los Alamitos duo Malachi Nelson and Makai Lemon, as well as Pacifica four-star cornerback Maliki Crawford.

But to truly build a fence around the state he needs to own a pipeline to the Mater Dei and St. John Bosco talent.

It appears Riley and the USC coaching staff are putting work in this weekend to ensure that goal becomes a more likely reality.