The Pac 12 have been taken out of a couple of Playoffs since Washington lost to Alabama back in 2016. The Pac 12 was considered one of the worst power 5 conferences this past season, and is looking to improve on their performance from a year ago.
Some of their classes shows progress as teams like Oregon and Stanford lead the pack. But other teams like Cal and Utah took steps back in recruiting and that may show further down the line if they can’t develop them properly. Today, were going to take a nose dive into each team and how they truly did.
Arizona:
Crown Jewel of the class: WR Jalen Curry
One half of the St. Pius connection that ended up at Arizona had a monster junior season that garnered a ton of attention. He caught 121 passes for 1,570 Yards and 18 Touchdowns. Due to a injury, Curry didn’t put up much stats in 2018, but his frame makes him a good target. At 6-2.5 208 lbs., Curry gives Arizona a good outside threat for years to come. Curry committed to Arizona over Auburn, Penn State, Tennessee, and Florida State.
Underrated player: CB Bobby Wolfe
Wolfe was one of the hottest DB’s during the summer as he picked up some big time offers from Arkansas, Texas A&M, Arkansas, and Baylor. Wolfe committed to Texas A&M on the same day he visited during one of the camps during the summer. He would take a visit to Arizona and 2 days later would re-open up his recruitment and committed during the first signing period. Wolfe is a physical corner with solid speed at 4.53 speed. With his cooldown of his recruitment, it’s kept him under the radar. But he can be a big part of this class.
Overview of the rest:
Arizona got a good connection from St Pius X in Houston with landing Ellis as well as his high school teammate, Grant Gunnell at QB. They addressed both sides of the line for the most part with nearly half of their class either being DL or OL. They’ve got some nice pieces here and there, but definitely not one of Arizona’s stronger classes. Maybe they’re saving up for 2020. Class Ranking: C+.
Arizona State:
Crown Jewel of the class: QB Jayden Daniels
Out of all of College Football, Arizona State may have gotten the biggest steal and a guy that could take ASU to the next level and dare I say, elite? Jayden is a complete stud with 4.6 speed and put up absurd numbers in HS. He threw for 4,515 Yards and 60 Touchdowns in just his senior year. He finished his HS career with 13,827 Passing Yards and 170 TD’s to just 20 INT’s. He also rushed for 2,043 Yards and 24 Touchdowns. Daniels held offers from Ohio State, Alabama, LSU, Georgia, Oregon, USC, and Texas A&M. But decided to commit to Arizona State a week before signing day. Daniels is the 3rd highest ranked commit in School History and should bring a ton of excitement to ASU football for years to come.
Underrated player: TE Nolan Matthews
Matthews is from a small school in Frisco, TX. He has excellent size at 6-4, 242 lbs. He was able to improve his hands his senior year as he finished with nearly 800 yards and 9 touchdowns. He’s already a really good blocker and that’s what he excels in. But if his hands can improve and make the adjustment, Matthews will end up being the starter very soon. Matthews committed to ASU over Missouri, TCU, Iowa State, and Air Force.
Overview of the rest:
Jaydon Daniels definitely bolstered this class up in the rankings. But ASU’s situation is very interesting. ASU has 4 early enrollees and 3 of them are QB’s. Getting 3 QB’s in one signing class is kind of unheard of and shows that Herm Edwards wants something new and is willing to give all 3 a chance. ASU went heavy on WR as they got 5 in this class and stayed out of the way for the DL as they only took 2. ASU’s got some spots open for a couple more, so if they finish strong at other positions, I could see them moving up a couple spots in the Pac 12. Class Ranking: B.
California:
Crown Jewel of the class: OLB Kuony Deng
What once was Last Chance U, Independence CC is known for producing the top talent out of the JUCO ranks. This is another one as Deng is the #1 JUCO LB and #13 Overall in the nation. Deng is considered a LB, but I could easily see him switching him to a edge rusher. Deng is 6-6, 235 lbs. with a 4.6 40 time. That kind of size and speed could be lethal at the edge position, but it will be up to Cal what they do with the coveted JUCO Prospect. He also had 6 Pass Deflections, so he also shows his coverage ability. Deng committed to Cal over other offers from Texas A&M, UCLA, and Virginia Tech.
Underrated player: WR Trevon Clark
Clark has something that seems to be rare in the JUCO ranks. a 6-4 frame with really good speed. Clark committed to Oregon State over the summer. But got a couple of offers, including one from Cal. He visited and committed to Cal over Oregon State, UCLA, Boise State, and Fresno State. Expect to see quite a bit of Clark as Cal struggled in the passing game as they were one of the worst in the nation and the worst in the conference.
Overview of the rest:
Cal’s class is pretty interesting. They only boost one 4 star, but have a ton of really good, solid 3 stars around Deng. QB Spencer Brasch had 46 Total TD’s his senior year, WR Trevon Clark is the #5 JUCO WR in the nation and they’ve got a 6-3, 300 lbs. DT in Ben Coleman. There’s a difference between looking at ratings and not looking at productions or highlights to see. Cal has some solid players, that they could up build around and once their juniors or seniors, are big time contributors. Most won’t see that, but this class isn’t as bad as the ratings show. Class Ranking: B-.
Colorado:
Crown Jewel of the class: ILB Jashua Allen
Cal got the #1 LB in the JUCO ranks. It looks like Colorado got #2 in Jashua Allen. Allen is more of a true LB at 6-2, 225 lbs. But Allen showed that he was able to get in the backfield just as well, with 12.5 TFL’s and 5.5 Sacks in his Freshman Year of JUCO at Arizona Western College. He is the highest ranked commit in the class and committed to Colorado over Arkansas, Iowa State, TCU, and Washington State
Underrated player: S Mark Perry
Perry is such an interesting project, that is still a big question mark. Perry is a combine freak and he has a incredible combo of speed and jumping ability. Mark ran a 4.5 4o with a 38.2 Vertical. Other schools saw his talent as he also bolstered offers from Arizona, Arizona State, Baylor, and Iowa State. Perry was injured for most of his Senior season, so he may have a feeling of proving to do when he arrives to Boulder. But Mark could be the surprise of the class due to his potential.
Overview of the rest:
Colorado ranks eerily similar to Cal with only having one 4 star and being national ranked 46th. I don’t think Colorado’s class has as many good 3 stars, but they still could be something. In Mater Dei, I trust and Braedin Huffman-Dixon is definitely one of those that could make some noise early in his career. Colorado only has 16 signed and still has 7 that are left out their. The status is unknown on those 7, but none of them will be able to come in and play immediately. The class is still not great, but with a few more commits, it could finish out nicely. Class Ranking: C+.
Oregon:
Crown Jewel of the class: DE Kayvon Thibodeaux
His ranking varies depending on which side you use, but Kayvon Thibodeaux is an all-around freak of nature. Kayvon dominated HS football with his athletic 6-4.5, 239 lbs. frame. In his career, he finished with 153 tackles, 52 sacks, and 47 TFL’s. He also had 8 forced fumbles and recovered 5 of them. Oregon showed that they can still recruit at the highest o levels with getting Thibodeaux as he has NFL potential written all over him. He committed to Oregon over Alabama, Florida, Florida State, and USC.
Underrated player: ILB Dru Mathis
Mathis’s story was very interesting as it seemed to be a 2 man race down the stretch towards the end of the first signing day. Baylor was near the top and looked to be a lock until Mathis got an offer from Oregon. He would end up committing and has been solid since. Mathis is your old school LB with speed. He is 6-3, 240 lbs. and if he put on more weight, has a chance to rush the passer sometimes. It’ll be interesting how Oregon uses him, but Mathis is going to become a household name soon. Mathis also had offers from Illinois, TCU, and was getting a lot of attention from Nebraska at one point as well.
Overview of the rest:
You could say that Kayvon carried this class to the ranking it has. But you’d be lying to yourself. Mario Cristobal has a done a terrific job In recruiting as he has landed Oregon, one of it’s best classes since 2014,2015. Oregon’s got studs all over the field including. High 4 Stars, CB Mykael Wright, OT Jonah Tauanu’u, ILB Mase Funa, and WR Mycah Pittman. And with a couple spots still remaining, Oregon has a chance to do more damage in this class. This is one of the best classes in the nation and it showed with it being #7 according to 247. Class Ranking: A+.
Oregon State:
Crown Jewel of the class: ILB Omar Speights
This looks to be back to back recruiting classes with missing out on a 4 star (with their last being WR Isiah Hodgins). The hometown kid has ideal size for a LB, but was used quite a bit at DE. By using his speed to get around the Tackle, Speights was able to have success. The hometown kid from Corvalis (Crescent Valley HS) stayed true throughout the process as he committed back in June and has been solid ever since. Speights committed to OSU over BYU, Minnesota, Baylor, Duke, and Tennessee.
Underrated player: DT Evan Bennett
Bennett comes from the powerhouse known as Mater Dei High School and although he has a teammate this same size, Bennett is coming in as a true freshman. He is a project and will take a few years to work on technique, but his size is perfect. Evan is 6-3, 315 lbs. There’s not a ton to discuss due to his limited playing time while being at Mater Dei, but his size brings intrigue, but it should be interesting what happens with Bennett. he also had offers from San Jose State, Colorado State, and Fresno State.
Overview of the rest:
It was a rough year for Oregon State on the field. It may be another one, when it comes to recruiting. There’s no one outside of Speights that truly jumps off the page with his list of offers or film that is presented. Oregon State did stress the need of CB as they picked up 4 of them in this class. As well as the DL as they have 5 signed and one that is a hard commit, waiting to sign on the dotted line. Oregon State may take a while to get back on their feet, and this class doesn’t change a ton. Class Ranking: D+.
Stanford:
Crown Jewel of the class: WR Elijah Higgins
Higgins in most states would be the #1 or #2 receiver in the state. He was near the top in the state, but was the #15 ranked receiver (and I think he’s Top 10 worthy). He is listed at 6-3.5, 208 lbs. from Bowie HS in Austin, TX. His elite size and combo of solid speed is exactly what Stanford is recruiting and recently has had on the roster (JJ Arcega-Whiteside, Cody Parkinson, Kaden Smith). Higgins hands needs to be adjusted a little bit as he seems to be a body catcher, but you can get away with that in College. Higgins committed to Stanford over Ohio State, Texas, Florida, and Michigan plus a dozen of other P5 Schools.
Underrated player: TE Bradley Archer
If there is one thing you can rely on Stanford with, it’s really good TE play. Bradley is raw when it comes to catching, but with his 4.7 speed and 242 lbs. frame, I think Stanford found a gem they could blossom over the next couple of weeks. The main team coming for Archer was Cal, but he also had offers from BYU, Columbia, Brown, among others. The kid is smart and picking a school that has been “TEU” seems to be a good move for him and Bradley could make his way up the ranks of good TE’s in the conference/
Overview of the rest:
After last year’s disappointing recruiting class (7th in their own conference), Stanford picked things back up with a Top 20 recruiting class that includes 8 4 star recruits. As mentioned with Higgins, Stanford is looking for height at receiver and all 3 of their signees are 6-3 or taller. Unless Stanford tries to sneak in one or two more, this looks the be the whole class as all 23 have signed their LOI and none of them are early enrolling. It’s a great class with quite a bit of diversity throughout with the top 5 players being from different positions (WR, RB, C, WDE, SDE). It’s a class that gets Stanford back on track. Class Ranking A-.
UCLA:
Crown Jewel of the class: OG Sean Rhyan
Sean Rhyan is a monster and delivers pancakes on the daily. Rhyan was a Army All-American and his 6-5, 325 lbs. frame is what makes him such a huge splash for UCLA. National Recruiting Analyst, Greg Biggins compares him to Zack Martin when he sees Rhyan. Rhyan could start immediately and anchor down the Guard spot for all 3-4 years of his career. Sean committed to UCLA over Alabama, Notre Dame, Oregon, and USC.
Underrated player: S Carl Jones
Jones is not exactly a ball hawking safety. Jones would rather lay the wood or have someone 5 or 6 yards deep in the backfield. He doesn’t have quite the size to be versatile and play LB, but still is a really good tackler, He only had 3 picks in his 2 seasons on defense, but shows his potential with tackling. Jones had offers from Colorado, California, and Nevada.
Overview of the rest:
It was mentioned earlier that Kayvon didn’t carry Oregon’s class. Well I think that Sean Rhyan carries the class for UCLA. If they don’t have him, this might be one of the worst UCLA classes in a long time. The next highest rated player is #425 in the nation and UCLA only has 15 committed so far. QB Chase Griffin is an interesting prospect that is an early enrollee that could help UCLA in the QB room with young guys like DTR. UCLA is a little bit of a disappointment this year, so it’s going to get a lower grade than I anticipated. Class Ranking: C+.
USC:
Crown Jewel of the class: DE Drake Jackson
This spot was cemented from ATH Bru McCoy. Until he decided this past week to transfer and will now be attending Texas. Jackson uses moves and agility to be the tackle. But if Jackson puts on weight, he could move to DT. He’s already 269 lbs and if he moves up to 280, 285; that’s really good size for a true freshman. He shows flashes of greatness for his size and draws NFL comparisons to Cameron Jordan. Jackson committed to USC over Oregon, Washington, Arizona State and Nebraska.
Underrated player: CB Trey Davis
Davis is interesting and had just one offer from a power 5 school (that being Washington State). For USC to offer a kid with very little attention brings up the question, why? Davis is a solid tackler that is more a tackler over a true cover corner as he had 8 TFL’s in his senior season with no turnovers. It’s very odd for a blueblood to offer someone with little attention, so this makes him a true question mark. We’ll see what happens with Davis.
Overview of the rest:
After having the top class in 2018, USC slips behind a little bit in 2019, while still getting some good players. he Bru McCoy departures doesn’t help the ranking, but it gives young receivers like Amon-Ra St. Brown, more chance during the season. Drake London is the top receiver USC got and looks to be picking up McCoy’s spot in the class. Max Williams is really talented and fast, but extremely undersized and underweight at 5-8, 173 lbs. OT Jason Rodriguez has great size for a tackle as a freshman at 6-6 326 lbs. He could be a good presence. The class isn’t indictive by one player, but it does drop a little bit to me. Still a really, really good class though. Class Ranking: A.
Utah:
Crown Jewel of the class: OG Sataoa Laumea
Laumea is your prototypical 6-4, 306 Guard with some surprisingly good agility. He didn’t get a ton of attention when it comes to rating, but has 26 offers from all across the country. It’s hard to judge how good a low 4 star guard is going to be, because they are raw and don’t have over-whelming flashes of greatness on their tape. Utah got 2 Guards in this class, so this is a spot of emphasis and seem like they got what they wanted. Laumea committed to Utah over Cal, Oregon State, UCLA, and USC.
Underrated player: OT Luke Felix-Fualalo
Luke isn’t quite “under the radar” as half of the conference offered the kid. But his low rating may be the reasoning behind it. Luke is an excellent run blocker that at 300 lbs., could easily make the move to Guard. From Mater Dei, Felix-Fualalo also had offers from Arizona State, Colorado, Oregon State, and Washington State.
Overview of the rest:
Utah fell off a cliff with this class. By far, the most disappointing class in the Pac 12 after finishing with a strong 5th place a year ago. Utah only has 9 signed and 4 that are still waiting. WR Darren Jones could help the class as he is a 4 star and is committed, but we will see if he signs on Wednesday or thinks about going elsewhere. Even for a small class, you want quality in the class. Utah missed out on the quality and is just ahead of Oregon State in the class rankings for the Pac 12. Class Ranking: C-.
Washington:
Crown Jewel of the class: CB Trent McDuffie
Washington does have a pair of DT that are higher rated, but I think McDuffie could have the most success in this class. UW has basically become DBU of the Pac 12 in the past couple of years. With Taylor Rapp and Byron Murphy this past season, McDuffie is looking to step in and play a big role in 2019. Trent is undersized at 5-11 187 lbs., but makes up for it with his 4.47 40 speed and ability to be physical to break up passes. He had 13 PBU’s his senior season. I would expect him to be playing in the nickel corner position facing against a shorter, faster, slot receiver. McDuffie committed to UW over Alabama, USC, and Stanford among others.
Underrated player: RB Cameron Davis
Myles Gaskin is leaving, which gives Cameron Davis a huge chance to make a good impression in his first season on campus. Davis rushed for nearly 3,000 rushing yards and 40 TD’s in his junior and senior seasons. Davis at 187 lbs., has a small blend of power to his game and most times, will break the first tackle. Davis is a low 4 star, so its hard to call him Underrated, but he was only offered by Washington, Cal, Nevada, and USC before committing to UW. Davis gives UW a weapon on offense where they’ll need it for incoming QB Jacob Eason.
Overview of the rest:
Washington (as usual) went defense heavy with 5 of their top 6 that are signed are on that side of the ball. With the monster duo of Jacob Bandes and Faatui Tuitele at 6-2 and 300 lbs. a piece. Dylan Morris is the QB in the class as the #1 prospect in the state of Washington and the #4 Pro Style Quarterback in the class. Washington had certain needs and hit it hard as they were diverse as it seemed like they got 2-3 of everything except for QB. This is a very good class for the Huskies and should keep their defense elite for years to come. Class Ranking: A.
Washington State:
Crown Jewel of the class: OLB Travion Brown
Brown has the size of a now a days, CFB linebacker with good speed for his size. Brown’s recruitment was pretty slow in 2018 after back to back days of offers from Minnesota and Nebraska, back in February. But didn’t have anything happen until he visited Wazzou in late September and ended up committing a few days later. He also held offers from Boston College, BYU, Colorado, as well as Arizona.
Underrated player: S Bryce Beekman
Beekman has jumped around the country as he started out in Baton Rouge, LA in HS. He then committed to Arizona Western College, And now he has ended up in Pullman, WA. Beekman has good speed for a Safety and is a tackle specialist. Beekman was first team all conference in his conference and one of the best in quite a few categories. Beekman holds offers from Hawaii, Kansas, and Kansas State before deciding to sign the dotted line in December.
Overview of the rest:
Even with the on-field success, it didn’t show up much in recruiting as Wazzou finished in the bottom half of the league. They have some solid 3 stars, but it’s not enough to consider the class a huge success. Mike Leach doesn’t bring in big time classes and recruits, so I wouldn’t consider everyone in the class to be duds, but it is hard to succeed at the highest level with these kinds of recruits. Class Ranking: C.
Image Credit: https://sports.yahoo.com/vital-signing-day-hand-pac-12-struggling-keep-power-five-cohorts-034254946.html
