The Hotline is thrilled to provide Pac-12 fans with a weekly dive into the recruiting process through the eyes and ears of Brandon Huffman, the Seattle-based national recruiting analyst for 247 Sports.
The following information, in his own words, was provided to the Hotline on December 1. 22 …
The biggest news from the first signing window is how Oregon closed.
Even though the Ducks lost five-star safety Peyton Bowen, who was signed to Notre Dame, then returned to Oregon on Wednesday morning, then returned to Oklahoma on Thursday, they still had a terrific week.
Where Oregon impressed us the most was first and foremost the 32 commitments. And of those, two were five stars and 19 were four stars – so 66% of signers are prime prospects.
But all anyone wants to talk about is signing a five-star rusher Matayo Uiagalelei.
***Five Star Receiver Landing Curse Dickey a long time ago certainly helped, and recently losing five-star quarterback Dante Moore (to UCLA) certainly hurt. But the Ducks closed with a lot of force.
Behind the scenes, they knew Moore was disengaging and they prepared for it. They had a four-star quarterback Austin Novosada native of Dripping Springs, Texas, paid an official visit last weekend.
What’s critical about Novosad is that he committed to Baylor but was offered scholarships by Ohio State, Notre Dame, LSU and Texas A&M. But the Ducks’ new offensive coordinator, Will Stein, used his connections in Texas to land in Novosad.
*** Anyone who was worried about Oregon coach Dan Lanning after losing two of his last three games and after losing Moore, I think they should worry no more.
There’s some saltiness on social media about how Oregon got to this point, but it really doesn’t matter. The Ducks have worked harder than everyone.
And the icing on the cake was spilling a four-star traffic jam Jayden Limar (from Notre Dame), then clinging to the four-star edge Purchase Blake, the best player in Colorado. When Purchase didn’t sign on Wednesday, there was a lot of talk that Deion Sanders may have reached him. But instead, he signed with the Ducks.
*** Let’s spend a moment on the two-time defending conference champions.
What Utah did this year is exactly what fans hoped for when the Utes entered the Pac-12 a decade ago.
The first goal was to compete for division titles, and they did.
Then it was to win conference championships, and they did.
Now it is to recruit at the Top 25 level, and they have done so with the No. 22nd class in the 247 Sports composite ranking.
They are in the process of recruiting, evaluating and working schools and were able to reverse a few engagements: tight end four stars Hunter Clegg from Stanford and four-star offensive tackle spencer fano from BYU.
It’s what fans had dreamed of – and what Pac-12 coaches had always feared:
What would happen if Kyle Whittingham started recruiting elite talent?
*** We thought new Colorado coach Deion Sanders would make a splash, but not necessarily in recruiting – we thought it would be in the transfer portal.
And Wednesday night, after all the excitement had died down since signing day, Sanders added Jackson State cornerback Travis Hunter, the former No. 1 rookie in the country.
And he added his son, quarterback Shedeur Sanders, as everyone expected.
And he added Savion Washington, the gigantic offensive tackle who followed new offensive coordinator Sean Lewis from Kent State to Boulder. Washington will be a plug-and-play lineman.
The Buffaloes only have eight transfer portal commitments, but I anticipate a large number to come in the coming weeks. With so many Power Five teams playing in their bowls, there will be another wave. This is where Sanders will really capitalize, just like USC coach Lincoln Riley did last year.
Don’t be surprised to see Colorado’s tally go from eight transfers to 20 or more.
The Buffaloes have had success in the high school ranks – for example, knocking down a four-star traffic jam Dylan Edwards (of Notre Dame) a few weeks ago. It was big. But this class will earn their money in the portal.
*** It was unusual to see UCLA shut down the way it did, with coach Chip Kelly getting the highest-rated rookie in his tenure as a five-star quarterback Dante Moore.
So you’re thinking, “Maybe Kelly isn’t just leaning on the Portal” — except for the fact that the Bruins have six Portal commitments.
That group includes Kent State quarterback Collin Schlee. Does that mean Schlee is insurance in case Moore doesn’t win the job? We do not know.
*** Finally, note that while USC’s five-star signers (quarterback Malachy Nelsonrecipient Zacharias Branch and athlete Lemon Makai) had all announced their decisions in December. ’22, instead of Dec. ’21, there would have been a lot more buzz surrounding the Trojans on signing day.
It’s a top 15 class that didn’t get the top 15 buzz because there was so little drama.
But losing Uiagalelei was a blow – they would have loved to keep an elite defender in SoCal – and, honestly, I think this class left some meat on the bone.
*** Send your suggestions, comments and tips (privacy guaranteed) to pac12hotline@bayareanewsgroup.com or call 408-920-5716
***Follow Huffman on Twitter via @BrandonHuffman and support @AveryStrongDIPG
*** Follow me on Twitter: @Wilner Helpline
*** The Pac-12 Helpline is not endorsed or sponsored by the Pac-12 Conference, and the opinions expressed herein do not necessarily reflect the views of the Conference.
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