Pac-12 Recruiting Rankings: One Week Until Signing Day
With signing day a mere week away, let's take a look at the current Pac-12 recruiting rankings.
"Current" is the operative word here. A week in the recruiting world is an absolute eternity! Anything can literally happen (and has happened).
The usual suspects are at the top of the leader board, although there are some surprises in the conference.
This slideshow will include each team's top three current commitments, including 3 "big fish" that they are pining for.
Let's take a look.
12. Washington State Cougars
1 of 12There's a new captain in charge on the Palouse. He's the volatile yet entertaining Mike Leach.
If there's ever such thing as a "home run" hire, this is it. The presence of Leach alone has injected inordinate amounts of energy and enthusiasm into a Cougar program that's been floating at the bottom of the conference for the last few years.
People outside Pac-12 country seldom realize that Washington State has some good football tradition, dating back to the days of Drew Bledsoe and Ryan Leaf. Leach hopes to launch the program back to those levels with his patented "Air-Raid" offense.
If anything, this team should be fun to watch.
Leach has been getting a jump start on recruiting and has been hitting Southern California extremely hard. He's already gotten a few guys with great speed and elusiveness. They totally fit his style of offense.
As long as Leach is in Pullman, expect Washington State to attract kids with his exciting offense.
TOP 3 COMMITS:
"BIG FISH" STILL IN PLAY
*Watch out for: WR Alex Jackson. He has a chance to be a good one with his quickness and big-play ability.
11. Utah Utes
2 of 12With Utah's inclusion in the Pac-12, look for the Utes to be more of a recruiting presence in states like California and Arizona.
Also by entering one of the bigger conferences, Utah will be able gain access to recruits they normally wouldn't have in the past. And it won't be a problem to recruit kids from the west coast because they know they'll still get to play in front of their family and friends.
Coach Kyle Whittingham and his staff are masters at taking under-the-radar kids and turning them into productive players. Utah has been consistently pumping players out to the NFL, and that won't stop anytime soon.
Although this class isn't highly ranked, there are some kids who have the potential to be pretty good. Four years down the road, it would not surprise me to see this class as one of the top six in the conference.
In regard to this year, Utah should make a nice push at the end with some higher-ranked kids,
TOP 3 COMMITS:
"BIG FISH" STILL IN PLAY:
*Watch Out For: Sione Tupouata. The big junior-college defensive end is a beast off the edge and will compete for early play time.
10. Arizona Wildcats
3 of 12"Rich Rod" comes to Tucson looking for redemption after his unceremonious exit from Ann Arbor.
The big thing for Arizona is finding personnel to fit the new style of offense being implemented. So far, that's been a bit of a struggle with such a small window to salvage the recruiting class.
In the meantime, Rodriguez and new defensive coordinator Jeff Casteel have focused on the defensive side of the ball, picking up four defensive prospects since taking over.
Culturally, this is a much better fit for Rodriguez than Michigan. I think he'll be dangerous here.
This recruiting class isn't indicative of his recruiting prowess. His explosive offense will no doubt lure kids to Arizona.
One of those is local star Davonte' Neal. If Arizona can get him on signing day, it will set the tone for his 2013 recruiting class and give him loads of momentum.
TOP 3 COMMITS:
"BIG FISH" STILL IN PLAY:
*Watch Out For: Beau Boyster. The big OL has the tenacity and nastiness to be an all-conference performer one day.
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9. Colorado Buffaloes
4 of 12Coach Jon Embree is facing quite a rebuilding process in Boulder. The Buffs are coming off a 3-10 season.
There's no question that the talent level has to rise, especially on both lines.
In this class, Embree has made a concerted effort to target that need. As a result, he has 12 offensive and defensive linemen currently committed.
While this class isn't build on quality per se, it's definitely providing lots of new blood and will help to provide depth.
TOP 3 COMMITS:
"BIG FISH" STILL IN PLAY
*Watch Out For: Justin Solis. The massive DT dominated in the California state championship game and should play early in Boulder.
8. Arizona State Sun Devils
5 of 12The Sun Devils' program is going through a transition and will be led by new coach Todd Graham, who left Pittsburgh after one season.
With the dismissal of former coach Dennis Erickson, multiple recruits reneged on their commitments, and many of the existing commitments have been checking out other schools.
However, Graham has done a good job in convincing many to stick to their original commitments. The class includes four kids from the famed Long Beach Poly high school, and all four look like they'll stick as Sun Devils.
The former staff made a concerted effort to hit California hard. Graham has shifted the recruiting focus to the state of Arizona. His goal is to keep all the local big-time players home.
Two prospects that could become offensive cornerstones are WR Darreus Rogers and RB D.J. Foster. Both are being heavily recruited by USC. It should come down to the Sun Devils and the Trojans for both players.
TOP 3 COMMITS:
"BIG FISH STILL IN PLAY:
*Watch Out For: Milo Jordan. The Corona DT is very much in the mold of current Sun Devil Will Sutton. He's very quick and displays a good motor.
7. Washington Huskies
6 of 12Truth be told, Washington's class is solid but not spectacular. It certainly could be better.
But that's all about to change with the hire of recruiting dynamo Tosh Lupoi.
Lupoi was lured to Seattle from Cal. Instantly, many kids are now considering Washington, and Lupoi is leading the charge.
Like many schools in the Pac 12, Washington's current class is very California-laden. But there is big- time optimism for two reasons.
First, along with Lupoi comes new defensive coordinator Justin Wilcox from Tennessee. Wilcox, an Oregon graduate, is a young and dynamic coach with great recruiting skills.
Second,head coach Steve Sarkisian has a commitment from one of the top quarterbacks in the nation in Colorado native Cyler Miles. He is extremely talented and will push for playing time the instant he steps on campus.
This class is solid and will continue to look better once signing day comes. Lupoi is attempting to pull off a big-time coup, which would be landing Northern California studs Shaq Thompson and Arik Armstead.
TOP 3 COMMITS:
"BIG FISH" STILL IN PLAY:
*Watch Out For: Damion Turpin. If the big DE can stay healthy, he has an extremely bright future.
6. Oregon State Beavers
7 of 12The Beavers are coming off a disappointing 3-9 season. They were decimated by injury and simply didn't have the horses to compete like in years past.
However, Mike Riley is one of the conference's best coaches and has a knack for developing hidden gems. And thee recruiting class this year is one of the best to come to Corvallis.
It's a vastly underrated group that will make noise before leaving Corvallis.
The class is led by five-star offensive guard Isaac Seumalo. The No. 1-rated guard in the nation by Scout.com decided to stay home in Oregon, in large part because his father is the Oregon State defensive line coach.
In addition, the Beavers picked up talented wide receiver Malik Gilmore, quarterback Brett Vanderveen and tight end Caleb Smith.
Depth is strong across the board in this class. There are some good athletes headed to Oregon State.
TOP 3 COMMITS:
"BIG FISH" STILL IN PLAY
*Watch Out For: OT Garrett Weinreich. The 6'6" offensive tackle is a teammate of fellow commit Brett Vanderveen. Weinreich has a great frame and the requisite athleticism to be productive.
5. California Golden Bears
8 of 12Man, what two weeks can do. A couple weeks ago at the U.S. Army All-American Bowl, Cal got commitments from three players on national television. Currently, none of those players are considered commits to Cal anymore, and many others also have left.
Why, you ask? The departure of Tosh Lupoi to Washington. The young assistant coach was that influential.
Cal was looking at a potential Top 5 class nationally. Right now, they're maybe looking at a Top 5 class in the conference.
They do have some big-time players still committed, but the program is reeling due to the loss of its former assistant. They've already lost big-time defensive tackle Ellis McCarthy to UCLA, and multiple other kids have decommitted and are looking around.
Despite the loss of Lupoi, Cal hopes to salvage the class by selling those kids on what Cal has to offer as a school.
TOP 3 COMMITS:
"BIG FISH" STILL IN PLAY:
*Watch Out For: Demariay Drew. The sleeper safety has great athleticism.
*Note: Shaq Thompson is considered a "soft commit," so that's why I didn't place him in the top 3 commitment category. He's heavily considering other schools, namely Washington.
4. UCLA Bruins
9 of 12At the moment, the polar opposite of Cal would be UCLA. There's tons of momentum in Westwood as the enthusiastic and passionate Jim L. Mora leads the charge.
He's put together a stellar staff that's chalk-full of both NFL experience and ace recruiters.
UCLA already has gotten commitments from a bunch of versatile and athletic players, and the Bruins are in line to surprise on signing day with some big-timers as well.
Here is an article I wrote a few days ago detailing UCLA's recruiting under Mora
If these last two months are any indication, you could safely say UCLA is turning into a recruiting force in the Pac-12. Don't be surprised if the Bruins finish in the Top 2 of the conference after February 1st.
TOP 3 COMMITS:
"BIG FISH" STILL IN PLAY:
*Watch Out For: Fabian Moreau. The slot wide receiver/tailback has explosive speed and a second gear that will be welcomed in Noel Mazzone's offense.
3. Oregon Ducks
10 of 12Oregon fans can rest easy now. The flirtation that Chip Kelly had with the Tampa Bay Bucs ended over the weekend.
With the return of its popular coach, the recruiting juggernaut that Oregon has become continues to roll.
They have several big-time players coming in. Due to their recent success in making multiple BCS bowls, the Ducks' recruiting has expanded nationally.
That includes commits from Hawaii, Texas and Ohio (which wouldn't have been feasible in years past, at least before the LaMichael James era in Eugene).
Running back Byron Marshall looks like the next great back at Oregon. His skill set is tailor-made for the Oregon zone-read offense.
Oregon looks to finish off a strong recruiting year and are in on many big-time prospects who will announce on signing day.
TOP 3 COMMITS:
"BIG FISH" STILL IN PLAY
*Watch Out For: DE Cody Carriger. The Montana native is a versatile prospect who flashes impressive athleticism at both tight end and defensive end.
2. Stanford Cardinal
11 of 12When you think of Stanford football, what comes to mind?
Discipline, blue-collar mentality, intelligence (obviously!).
This class is no different. Stanford's appeal stretches across the country, so it's no coincidence that they get kids from all over the place. In this class alone, they have kids from California, Florida, Illinois, Virginia, Tennessee, Arizona, Texas, Utah, Minnesota, Hawaii, Missouri and Georgia.
Stanford is loading up on athletes on the defensive side of the ball. The three leading the charge are Georgia defensive end Jordan Watkins, Florida outside linebacker Noor Davis and Virginia safety Alex Carter.
In addition, Stanford has commitments from four very good offensive lineman. They are in the hunt for two, Kyle Murphy and Josh Garnett, who are considered among the best in the country. Even if Stanford doesn't land the other two, the Cardinal will have a great class.
If they do land Garrett and Murphy, they'll have the best offensive line class in the country, and it won't even be close. Currently, they are a Top 25 class, according to Scout.com.
TOP 3 COMMITS:
"BIG FISH" STILL IN PLAY:
*Watch Out For: Conner Crane. The WR from Texas is reminiscent of Griff Whalen, but with better size.
1. USC Trojans
12 of 12Despite the scholarship restrictions, Southern Cal continues to be a force in the recruiting world.
Currently, USC has only 12 verbal commits. According to Scout.com, however, of all Pac-12 teams, the Trojans have the highest star average per recruit. Simply put, that means they have the best quality class.
With the restrictions, Southern Cal pretty much has to be selective. The Trojans have to "hit" on the majority of their recruits.
They have focused heavily on the offensive line and have landed two highly-regarded Southern California natives in Max Tuerk and Jordan Simmons.
The fact is, it's SC. They will continue to get stud recruits. As signing day comes, don't be surprised to see them land some out-of-state surprises.
TOP 3 COMMITS:
"BIG FISH" STILL IN PLAY:
*Watch Out For: Jahleel Pinner. The big fullback will be utilized in a similar fashion as former SC player Stanley Havili.
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