The groundwork for successful recruitment during the December signing window is often laid in the spring when visits are made, assessments are made, and shortlists are determined.
Starting today, a weekly hotline will give Pac-12 fans a look at the process with their eyes and ears. Brandon Huffmannational recruiting analyst for 247Sports in Seattle.
Huffman will break the news and talk about recent developments, as well as talk about upcoming events that will shape the 2022-2023 hiring cycle.
The following message, in his own words, was provided to the Hotline on April 25…
– The biggest recruiting news coming out over the weekend is that USC continues to hit the transfer portal hard, this time on the defensive: The Trojans received a commitment from Ohio State Security on Sunday. Bryson Shawwho started for the Buckeyes.
Obviously, they are not slowing down in terms of getting players from the portal due to the May 1 deadline approaching.
(Players transferring after May 1 must sit out the 2022 season or receive a waiver from the NCAA.)
Both USC and Oregon hosted large contingents of players this weekend for their spring games. That’s where all the eyes were. Both had high-profile games, good attendances and new coaching staffs.
“In terms of high school recruiting, the biggest news was that the Tacoma edge rusher Jayden WayneNo. 1 player in the Pacific Northwest, was in Oregon over the weekend for an unofficial visit.
This is the third time the five-star prospect has been in Eugene since Dan Lanning’s staff was hired. He was there for an unofficial visit in March, and also in January, and now this time for their spring game.
The guest list at the Eugene didn’t end with Wayne. The Ducks have taken on quite a large contingent of players to play—not just from the West Coast, but from across the country.
The group included five-star attack tackle Samson Okunlola from Massachusetts and five-star quarterback David Hicks from Texas.
They also had a four star receiver Yurrion Dickey (East Palo Alto) on campus along with a four-star receiver Rasheed Williams from Pittsburgh Bay Area High School.
For those who don’t know, Williams’ teammate in Pittsburgh is a quarterback. Jayden Rashadaranked fifth by QB in the country on the 247Sports composite rankings, and the highest ranked unused passer on the West Coast.
Rashada was supposed to make an unofficial visit to Oregon over the weekend, but actually made an official visit to Mississippi and a surprise unofficial visit to LSU on the Monday following the Ole Miss trip. (He plans to pay an official visit to Baton Rouge in June.)
Arkansas got a quarterback on Monday, so the Sharp Guards won’t be in contention for Rashada. But even though Ole Miss received a quarterback commitment on Monday, they’re still in business.
Now Oregon has to deal with LSU and Texas A&M as newcomers to recruiting Rashada, and that could seriously hamper his retention in the West.
He will be in Eugene in two or three weeks, a date not set yet.
Oregon to host quarterback next week Dante Moorewhich is ahead of Rashada by 247 points. He’s from Detroit and most people think he signed with a school in the Midwest.
But watch Moore. What he does will be the key to what Rashada is going to do.
– USC hosted several players, many athletes at the spring game. Obviously, it was a big day for them – they had elite players from the 23rd, 24th and 25th prep classes.
The only missing player was a Los Alamitos (California) quarterback. Malachi Nelson. He is the second passer in the junior class behind Ark Manning and has already dedicated himself to Lincoln Riley.
He didn’t attend the Trojans’ spring game because he was playing in a 7-on-7 tournament in Arizona.
— The only other important news was Jackson Bowersa four-star tight end from Mesa, Arizona named its top seven schools.
These are Alabama, Arizona, Auburn, BYU, Mississippi, Oregon, and Washington. So Pac-12 still has three teams.
– Also, Caleb Presleythe No. 1 cornerback in the West in the Class of 23 – he’s from Rainier Beach, High in Seattle – named his top 12 schools.
“Oregon, Stanford, UCLA, USC, Utah and Washington made the list, so Pac-12 is reassuring that it makes up half of the teams on his list.
Support hotline: Get three months of unlimited access for just 99 cents. Yes, it’s 99 cents for 90 days with the option to cancel at any time. Details hereand thanks for your support.
*** Send suggestions, comments and tips (privacy guaranteed) to pac12hotline@bayareanewsgroup.com or call 408-920-5716.
*** Follow me on Twitter: @Wilner Hotline
*** Follow Huffman on Twitter: @BrandonHuffman
*** The Pac-12 Hotline is not endorsed or sponsored by the Pac-12 Conference and the views expressed here do not necessarily reflect those of the Conference.