How Top California CFB Programs Stack Up in Class of 2016 Recruiting

The state of California is one of the more important territories in the entire nation when it comes to recruiting.

As such, Golden State programs such as California, Stanford, UCLA and USC have a built-in advantage in terms of having a base filled with talent to recruit from within a close proximity to their respective campuses.

While none of the quartet of Pac-12 stalwarts currently have classes rated inside the Top 10 of the 247Sports team rankings, the Trojans, Cardinal and Bruins all have groups firmly in the Top 20, and each program is poised to make a push toward that benchmark by Feb. 3.

How are the top programs from California faring just weeks before national signing day?

Let’s break down each of the Golden State’s top four programs and its classes to this point.

California – 24 commits, No. 34 class nationally

While the Bears will have to replace star quarterback Jared Goff, head coach Sonny Dykes carries a lot of momentum into the offseason after an 8-5 season capped off with a bowl win over Air Force.

The Bears have reloaded at receiver (four commits), offensive line (five commits), defensive line (five commits) and corner (five commits).

Additionally, they landed one of the nation’s most dynamic playmakers in 4-star all-purpose back Melquise Stovall—who was once committed to the Trojans early in the process.

Overall, the Bears have a solid class that has a chance to fill their most glaring needs heading into the 2016 season.

Stanford – 18 commits, No. 16 class nationally

Coming off a Pac-12 title and a 12-win season in 2016, Cardinal head coach David Shaw has Stanford primed for a strong close over the final few weeks before signing day.

Regardless of how it finishes, Stanford’s class already possesses a number of future stars who could do big things on the farm in the coming years.

In fact, five current Cardinal commits are ranked among the nation’s top 200 overall prospects in the 2016 cycle.

In 4-star passer K.J. Costello and 4-star tight end Kaden Smith, the Cardinal have two potential building blocks for the offense to develop in the next few years. 

They have a few big-time recruits such as 5-star receiver Demetris Robertson, 4-star linebacker Jeffrey McCulloch and 4-star defensive end Connor Murphy as targets they are trying to close on in the coming weeks.

UCLA – 20 commits, No. 17 class nationally

The bulk of UCLA’s class is made up of homegrown talents.

In fact, only four pledges in its class are from outside the state’s borders.

Included in the group of top in-state prospects are five of the Golden State’s Top 30 prospects.

Four-star defensive end Breland Brandt is one of four defensive linemen headed to Westwood, and 4-star receiver Theo Howard leads the group of four pass-catchers who could end up receiving tosses from star quarterback Josh Rosen over the next couple of years.

Additionally, the Bruins are in the lead group with standout in-state defenders such as 5-star linebacker Mique Juarez, 4-star defensive tackle Boss Tagaloa and 4-star safety Brandon Burton.

If they can land those in-state prospects, it would put a bow on a strong cycle for head coach Jim Mora Jr. and the Bruins.

USC – 14 commits, No. 15 class nationally

Perhaps no school in the country can compete with USC’s collection of wide receivers in the 2016 class.

The Trojans have five receivers committed—including a pair of 4-stars already on campus as early enrollees in Michael Pittman and Josh Imatorbhebhe.

Plus, the late addition of 5-star defensive end Oluwole Betiku—who was once committed to the Bruins and is already on campus—is a major coup for head coach Clay Helton and his staff.

The Trojans are far from being done.

They are in the final group with players such as 5-star defensive tackle Rashan Gary, 4-star corner Jack Jones, 4-star safety Lamar Jackson and 4-star JUCO defensive end Jonathan Kongbo among others.

While they currently have the Pac-12’s top group, the toughest competition to stay there will come from their fellow league and in-state neighbors.

Sanjay Kirpalani is a National Recruiting Analyst for Bleacher Report. Unless otherwise noted, all quotes obtained firsthand and all recruiting information courtesy of 247Sports.

Follow @SanjayKirpalani