The foundation for recruiting success during the December signing window often is laid in the spring, when on-campus visits are taken, shortlists created and verbal commitments made.
The Hotline is delighted to provide Pac-12 fans with a dive into the process through the eyes and ears of Brandon Huffman, the Seattle-based national recruiting analyst for 247Sports.
Huffman will relay news and insight into the latest developments and cast an eye ahead to upcoming events that will shape the 2022-23 recruiting cycle.
The following information, in his words, was provided to the Hotline on June 27 …
Let’s start this report with a question on the recruiting calendar that seems relevant to teams everywhere:
Is the late-June and early-July stretch becoming the new window for players to make their decisions, instead of the normal December-to-February period? It sure seems like it.
A number of top recruits have come off the board in the last week, and more are ready to make their decisions in the next 10 days.
What’s the explanation? The NCAA’s dead period starts this week and goes into late July before there’s a one-week opening. That opening is the last time coaches can be with recruits until the season starts.
So for the next four weeks, coaches can’t host unofficial visits, they can’t go to camps, they can’t do anything. And because of that, perhaps, we’re starting to see some traction in the Pac-12.
*** Nobody had a better weekend than Washington. It was exactly the kind of weekend that first-year coach Kalen DeBoer needed — not just to rally UW’s recruiting efforts but, really, to rally the fan base.
After a couple of in-state kids eliminated the Huskies, what did they do? They went out of state to land a number of commits.
Headlining that list is four-star defensive lineman Anthony James of Wylie, Texas, who had been a longtime commit to Texas A&M before he backed off this spring. He’s rated a top-100 player nationally by 247Sports, the No. 7 defensive lineman in the country and the top player in Washington’s class so far.
James was joined by another Texas native, three-star cornerback Diesel Gordon, who committed a couple days before James. That combination triggered what became a big week for the Huskies.
They also secured commitments from three Southern California players: four-star safety Vincent Holmes, three-star offensive tackle Elisha Jackett and three-star linebacker Jordan Whitney. The trio committed to the Huskies on their official visits.
Washington also got a commitment from three-star linebacker Deven Bryant from St. John Bosco and, for good measure, added three-star offensive tackle Zachary Henning from Colorado.
All in all, the weekend was a huge pick-me-up for the Huskies heading into the dead period.
*** Washington definitely wasn’t the only school to reel in commitments from Texas.
Oregon landed four-star safety Tyler Turner from San Antonio, then went to the East Coast for three-star cornerback Collin Gill from the Washington, D.C. area.
Getting those out-of-state commitments bodes well for the Ducks as they wait for a decision from four-star prospect Caleb Presley, the top cornerback in the Pacific Northwest. Presley, who’s from Seattle, has been crystal-balled by 247Sports to pick the Ducks but has offers from the likes of Alabama, Texas A&M and Michigan State.
With four-star cornerback Cole Martin already committed, this could be a really good group of players set to join Martin’s father, Demetrice, who coaches the Oregon cornerbacks and is the defensive passing game coordinator.
*** Colorado also hit the Lone Star State, with commitments from three-star receiver Wesley Greaves and two unrated prospects: offensive linemen Tyrone McDuffy from El Paso and Drew Perez from powerhouse Carroll High School in Southlake.
The Buffaloes are going back to the state they recruited during their Big 12 and Big 8 days.
*** Three-star quarterback Luke Duncan from Miramonte High School in the East Bay — the same school that produced former Miami quarterback Ken Dorsey — has committed to UCLA.
We mentioned him in our report last week as a player Cal had pivoted to once the Bears were eliminated by coveted quarterback Jaden Rashada, who just committed to Miami. But it was probably too little, too late for them with Duncan.
UCLA kept him in the loop and told him what the timeframe was for a scholarship offer. Once they offered, Duncan committed four days later.
*** Sticking with the Los Angeles schools, we should note USC’s latest commitment. It’s from three-star athlete Kade Eldridge, who can play on the defensive line but is going to be used as a tight end.
He’s a nice pickup for the Trojans, who made a late rally and got him away from Oregon, Washington and Michigan.
Eldridge plays at the 1A level in Washington for a school in Whatcom County on the Canadian border and is the first player from Whatcom to commit to USC since the 1950s.
*** Stanford hosted a big group of official visitors last week and received a commitment from three-star edge rusher Armel Mukam from Woodberry Forest, Virginia. All signs pointed to him going to Virginia, but Stanford made a late offer, got him in school and secured the commitment.
The Cardinal also hauled in three-star offensive tackle Luke Baklenko from Oaks Christian in Westlake Village, California. He had taken official visits to UCLA and Boston College and was scheduled to see Washington this weekend. But Baklenko got admitted to Stanford and canceled his visit to Seattle.
*** Some other news worth noting from a busy, busy week:
Another player from Texas is heading to the Pac-12, with Utah landing unrated defensive lineman Jo’Laison Landry. The Utes also have hit Texas hard historically. Landry is their first Lone Star State commit in this recruiting cycle but their third from SEC territory.
Arizona State received its second overall commitment in the 2023 class and the first on defense with three-star safety Chase Davis. Recruiting in Tempe is still feeling the squeeze from the NCAA investigation.
Cal hosted three-star, 300-pound defensive lineman Ashton Sanders a few weeks ago. He initially pushed back the date for a decision, then chose the Bears over Wisconsin.
Three-star offensive tackle Jacob Anderson from Billings, Montana, committed to Oregon State. They also landed unrated receiver Zachary Card from Pittsburg (California) High School, where he was overshadowed a bit by Washington-bound wideout Rashid Williams. The Beavers now have two receivers and two tight ends in their class of seven players.
Washington State landed three-star linebacker Tai Faavae out of Colorado, and there could be more players committing to the Cougars soon after their big weekend of visitors.
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