The Hotline is delighted to provide Pac-12 fans with a regular dive into the recruiting process through the eyes and ears of Brandon Huffman, the Seattle-based national recruiting editor for 247Sports. He submitted the following report on Dec. 18 …
Countdown to signing day
By all indications, the early signing period looks remarkably unremarkable — not just with the departing Pac-12 schools but across major college football.
You can blame the NCAA transfer portal for that.
With so much of the recruiting work done in the summer, December is less about locking up high school prospects and more about landing transfers.
Does National Signing Day even matter anymore?
It’s hard to say yes.
Now, high-level programs like Washington and Oregon are making the biggest bangs with their pulls from the transfer portal: The former grabbed Mississippi State quarterback Will Rogers; the latter landed UCLA passer Dante Moore after adding Oklahoma’s Dillon Gabriel.
(One thing hasn’t changed: The Ducks are in line to sign the best recruiting class in the Pac-12.)
Schools would rather find plug-and-play veterans than talented but unproven high school recruits. That’s evident in the amount of players — or lack thereof — who will sign on Wednesday.
Make no mistake: Recruiting remains the lifeblood of a program. But these days, recruiting the portal is more important than recruiting the high schools.
Closing time
At the same time, there are some high school players in line for outgoing Pac-12 programs, with none bigger than Fairfield (Calif.) defensive lineman Jericho Johnson.
The top prospect in Northern California, Johnson will choose between Oregon, USC, Utah and Washington, but the buzz has been heavy for the Ducks.
He would join Oregon’s elite defensive line class that includes Aydin Breland and Elijah Rushing, the top interior defensive lineman and top edge rusher, respectively, from the region.
Johnson is the big fish in play for a signing day announcement. (The early signing period begins Wednesday and runs through Friday.)
That said, the top uncommitted player in the region is Gatlin Bair, the highest-rated player in Idaho history.
Bair de-committed from Boise State and narrowed his choices to Michigan and Oregon. Because of his plans to serve a church mission, he won’t enroll in college until 2026. As a result, he has pushed back a final decision until February.
Otherwise, there isn’t much intrigue in the high school ranks.
Portal giveth and taketh away
The top story this week unfolded at USC, where quarterback Malachi Nelson, a former five-star prospect, entered the transfer portal after just one year with the Trojans.
Nelson committed to Oklahoma, then flipped his pledge to the Trojans when coach Lincoln Riley ended up at USC. But with Will Howard expected to transfer to USC, Nelson put his name in the portal.
That move came a couple weeks after the other five-star quarterback who signed with the Pac-12 school last year, Moore, put his name in the portal following a tumultuous freshman season at UCLA.
Moore’s circle has come full.
Late last year, he flipped his college decision from Oregon to UCLA and started a handful of games for the Bruins during a roller-coaster season.
While Nelson’s destination remains uncertain, Moore has picked his next stop: He’s heading to Oregon and will join former Oklahoma star Gabriel as the two quarterbacks in the Ducks’ 2024 transfer class.
Pac-12 transfers (in and out)
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As we mentioned above, Rogers, the second-leading passer in SEC history, will join a pass-friendly offense at Washington.
He should help bridge the quarterback gap for coach Kalen DeBoer. This is Michael Penix Jr.’s final season, and while the Huskies are eager to get Austin Mack, their 2023 signee, behind center, they are wary of rushing him into action.
Meanwhile, USC lost Domani Jackson, the five-star cornerback from their 2022 class who started for the Trojans this year.
Jackson put his name in the portal on Monday, a day after Nelson. Although it was a surprise, there was some advance buzz that Jackson might depart.
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