Breakdown of the Current Pac-12 2020 College Football Recruiting Status

Written by Ryan Wright

Twitter: @RyanWrightRNG

A coach in any sport can be great, but said coach still needs talent to win games. The good thing for college football coaches in the Pac-12, they do not have to go far to pull top talent to their campus out of the extremely fertile grounds of California. But, with 12 programs all targeting the same top players, the difficult task has been for one school to consistently rise above the others just enough to lay claim to conference domination. Since the conference started the Pac-12 Football Championship Game in 2011 the North Division has been the clear overall leader winning seven of eight titles with USC being the lone South Division representative to win (31-28 in 2017 vs. Stanford). The cream of the crop has been a repeat of the same three programs, Oregon, Stanford, and Washington… will any of that change in the future thanks to the 2020 recruiting class?

With the early signing period about six months away, most of the teams in the Pac-12 have steamrolled into the process with half the group already securing double-digit commitments. As the number of commitments grow, the identity of each class starts to take shape. The following is a look inside each program and class to date listing out the top recruits with an overview on the current recruiting rankings.

Oregon Ducks – No. 1 in the Pac-12, No. 14 nationally

Oregon heads the conference in recruiting rankings, per 247Sports, tied with Cal in total number of commits at 15 while leading all with six four-star commits. Oregon has been unique in the early goings heading outside the normal battle grounds to land desired targets in Florida, Maryland, Oklahoma, Mississippi, Illinois, Washington, Hawaii, Nevada, and, of course, California.

The early look for the Ducks has been all about speed with a focus at the skill positions. Of the 15 commits, two are offensive lineman (Marcus Harper and Faaope Laloulu) and two strong-side defensive ends (Maceal Afaese and Jake Shipley).

Top Recruits

4-Star FS Avantae Williams – Deland High School (FL)

4-Star QB Jay Butterfield – Liberty High School (CA)

4-Star CB Luke Hill – St. Frances Academy (MD)

4-Star SS Myles Slusher – Broken Arrow High School (OK)

Gems in the Class

3-Star RB Trey Benson – St. Joseph High School (MS)

Benson rushed for over 1,800 yards with 22 touchdowns as a junior and pulled in 13 passes for 145 yards. At 6-0, 209, Benson is that do-everything back the Ducks love to feature in the backfield.

4-Star WR Kris Hutson – St. John Bosco (CA)

Hutson was part of a three-headed attack St. John Bosco unleashed on high school football in 2018 ending the season with a No. 2 national ranking. All three of the Braves top receivers pulled in 46 passes from Class of 2020 five-star QB DJ Uiagalelei (Clemson) with Hutson finishing second on the team in total receiving yards (844) while leading in receiving touchdowns (13).

Stanford Cardinal – No. 2 in the Pac-12, No. 26 overall

The fanbase for the Cardinal can never tell what to expect along the recruiting trail. Some years it seems to go down to the wire on filling a class while other years everything seemingly clicks. For the 2020 class, things are clicking. Stanford has one five-star commit in offensive tackle Myles Hinton, the only five-star committed to a Pac-12 school thus far. Rounding out the top of the class are four four-stars.

The class is balanced early on with three offensive linemen and their kicker of the future in North Carolina’s Joshua Karty.

Top Recruits

5-Star OT Myles Hinton – Greater Atlanta Christian School (GA)

4-Star WR John Humphreys – Corona Del Mar (CA)

4-Star OT Connor McLaughlin – Jesuit (FL)

4-Star TE Lukas Ungar – Delbarton School (NJ)

Gems in the Class

3-Star WR Bryce Farrell – Oaks Christian (CA)

Farrell’s numbers will not overwhelm, but his Lions squad has not been a pass-first team over the last two seasons, yet Farrell has found a way to make plays when given the opportunity. He averaged 18 yards per catch as a junior hauling in 16 passes with three scores as a junior.

3-Star OL Drake Metcalf – St. John Bosco (CA)

Metcalf has more than proven himself on the gridiron going up against Trinity League competition over the past two seasons. He is one of those guys who is technically sound, physically strong, and has a competitive fire that is hard to match. All makes him a tough matchup for any defensive lineman.

Washington Huskies – No. 3 in the Pac-12, No. 29 overall

The Huskies always recruit well taking top talent that fit their schemes on both sides of the ball and their team culture. Head coach Chris Petersen has taken his time dropping offers to recruits preferring to make sure the right fit is there between program and player. The fits are adding up with 11 total including five four-star players.

The early look has a heavy emphasis on offense with nine of the 11 potentially playing to score the ball at the collegiate level. The two not playing offense are inside linebacker Carson Bruener (Redmond, WA) and punter Triston Brown (Mt. San Antonio, CA). Always a big get when a team lands their centerpiece at quarterback, especially when he is a four-star talent.

Top Recruits

4-Star WR Jalen McMillian – San Joaquin Memorial (CA)

4-Star OC Myles Murao – Mater Dei (CA)

4-Star OT Roger Rosengarten – Valor Christian (CO)

4-Star QB Ethan Garbers – Corona Del Mar (CA)

California Golden Bears – No. 4 in the Pac-12, No. 35 overall

There are a couple of Pac-12 teams who look past recruiting stars identifying “their” guys who will fit their system. The Bears 2019 class had 24 total signees, one four-star and 23 three-star players. The 2020 class is off to the same approach with 15 verbal commitments all from three-star ranked players. The early tilt to this class is to the offense with 10 of the 15 heading that direction once on campus.

Although rated a three-star, one of the top early gets for Cal is running back Chris Street. Street proved he could carry a team, and against Trinity League competition, during his junior season rushing for 1,342 yards with 17 touchdowns and caught seven passes for 154 more yards with two additional scores making himself worthy of four-star status.

Top Recruits

3-Star WR Jeremiah Hunter – Central East (CA)

3-Star OT Everett Johnson – Turlock (CA)

3-Star OLB Andy Alfieri – Jesuit (OR)

3-Star OLB Muelu Iosefa – Mililani (HI)

Gem in the Class

3-Star OT Ender Aguilar – Servite High School (CA)

During the 2018 season, Aguilar was a two-way player at tight end and defensive end. For his senior campaign, he is sliding over to offensive tackle; a move that helped him land 13 total offers before committing to the Bears.

Arizona State Sun Devils – No. 5 in the Pac-12, No. 40 overall

Under head coach Herm Edwards, the Sun Devils are canvasing the nation for talent already taking commitments from players out of Ohio, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Louisiana along with Arizona and California. Of the 13 total commits, two are four-star with the rest being three-star recruits. The early lean is on offense, especially on the offensive line with tackle Ben Bray (AZ) and guards Micah Soliai Howlett (HI), Jacob Nunez (CA), and Frank Thompson (AZ).

Top Recruits

4-Star RB DeaMonte Trayanum – Archbishop Hoban (OH)

4-Star WR Chad Johnson – Cathedral (CA)

3-Star ATH T Lee – Buford (GA)

3-Star CB DeAngelo Taylor – Tampa Catholic (FL)

Gems in the Class

3-Star CB Macen Williams – Narbonne (CA)

Williams is a cover corner who is getting tested against some of the best receivers in the nation in practice alone. Perhaps overlooked by some because of his size (5-10.5, 165); make no mistake he can play and has the speed to keep up with Pac-12 receivers.

3-Star ATH Will Shaffer – Saguaro (AZ)

Shaffer is truly that player who can do anything asked of him at a skill position. He can play running back, slot, be that hybrid H-back if needed and can line up at linebacker. For my money, perhaps the best commitment ASU has on the list.

Colorado Buffaloes – No. 6 in the Pac-12, No. 42 overall

The Buffs are another team getting after it all over the nation on the recruiting trail. Of the 12 commitments, only one, center Carson Lee (Cherry Creek), is an in-state product. Colorado has traversed the nation with talents from Mississippi, California, Louisiana, Texas, Georgia, and even Massachusetts. Landing a top four-star is not easy, especially from out-of-state, but Colorado already has two in tackle Jake Wray (Marietta, GA) and dual-threat Brendon Lewis (Melissa, TX).

This class is one of the more balanced efforts early on with an even six going both ways.

Top Recruits

3-Star LB Jayland Parker – Westside (GA)

3-Star WDE Devin Grant – Antonian College Prep (TX)

3-Star TE Caleb Fauria – Bishop Feehan (MA)

3-Star CB Alton Julian – College of San Mateo (CA)

USC Trojans – No. 7 in the Pac-12, No. 60 overall

A reminder to USC fans, it is still very early in the process. Despite the duration between now and National Signing Day, it is still odd seeing the Trojans middle of the pack in the Pac-12 with recruiting. But what the Trojans have pieced together so far has the beginnings of something very special. The bedrock of the class is four-star dual-threat quarterback Bryce Young. Young took over the offensive reigns at Mater Dei for another USC guy, JT Daniels, leading the Monarchs to back-to-back national titles (MaxPreps) by throwing for 3,846 yards with 39 touchdowns.

The game is won in the trenches, and that is the early outlook with this class with a tight end, defensive tackle, and three offensive linemen committed out of the nine total in this haul.

Top Recruits

4-Star WR Josh Jackson – Narbonne (CA)

3-Star TE Jack Yary – Murrieta Valley (CA)

3-Star DT Kobe Pepe – St. John Bosco (CA)

3-Star OT Andres Dewerk – Los Gatos (CA)

Oregon State Beavers – No. 8 in the Pac-12, No. 70 overall

One good sign in recruiting is for a team to “win” their state in recruiting, and that is what the Beavers are doing thus far. Of the Top 5 players ranked, Oregon State has commitments from two of the five with Cal taking Andy Alfieri and Stanford securing Silas Starr. One top prospect, three-star corner Max Lenzy (Tigard), remains uncommitted.

Five of the nine OSU commits are slated to defense with an early lean on securing the box at linebacker and defensive end. The Beavers also have the big piece to their class set in three-star quarterback Ben Gulbranson (Newburry Park, CA).

Top Recruits

3-Star WR Zeriah Beason – Duncanville (TX)

3-Star DE Alex Lemon – San Diego Mesa (CA)

3-Star LB Junior Walling – McNary (OR)

3-Star LB John Miller – Tualatin (OR)

UCLA Bruins – No. 9 in the Pac-12, No. 75 overall

A bird’s eye view of the national scene at this point, only three other Power 5 schools are ranked below the following Pac-12 teams including UCLA: Rutgers, Virginia Tech, and Illinois. The Bruins have some key prospects added to the class in quarterback Parker McQuarrie and four-star caliber running back Nathaniel Jones. UCLA also has a steal in Jones’ teammate, three-star St. John Bosco safety Jake Newman.

Top Recruits

4-Star QB Parker McQuarrie – St. Paul’s School (NH)

3-Star RB Nathaniel Jones – St. John Bosco (CA)

3-Star WR Matt Sykes – St. Louis (HI)

3-Star LB Myles Jackson – Mill Creek (GA)

Arizona Wildcats – No. 10 in the Pac-12, No. 77 overall

Are the Wildcats another program forsaking the tremendous amount of in-state talent for players in other states? The early view of the class would suggest so with just two of the eight commits being in-state products; Will Plummer and receiver Dyelan Miller (Centennial). Head coach Kevin Sumlin has gone back to familiar recruiting grounds in Texas and SEC territories from his Texas A&M days with five of the eight coming from Texas, Florida, and Missouri.

It is early, but a knock on Sumlin from his time in College Station was a lack of balance in his recruiting classes putting more scholarships in the pile to the offense over the defense. The 2020 haul is looking that way with just two defensive players committed. In Sumlin’s favor, the 2019 class had 20 total commits, 10 going both ways.

Top Recruits

3-Star WDE Robert Wooten – Stafford (TX)

3-Star TE Drake Dabney – Cy Ranch (TX)

3-Star QB Will Plummer – Gilbert (AZ)

3-Star OT Woody Jean – Deerfield (FL)

Washington State Cougars – No. 11 in the Pac-12, No. 82 overall

If there are coaches in the college ranks where recruiting rankings mean little to nothing because they always are competitive and get players who fit the schemes, Washington State and Utah fit the bill. The Cougars 2019 class was filled with 20 three-star players, and a good bet is that class will pan out to be solid for head coach Mike Leach. Same is to be expected for the 2020 class which currently has seven commits, all three-star players.

Jyden King may be listed as a three-star, but the top rated Wazzu commit is extremely talented. He will be a difference maker for the Cougars for years to come.

Top Recruits

3-Star SS Alaka’I Gilman – Punahou (HI)

3-star DT Nathaniel Jones – Avon (IN)

3-Star WR Joey Hobert – San Juan Hills (CA)

3-Star FS Hunter Escorcia – Vista Murrieta (CA)

Utah Utes – No. 12 in the Pac-12, No. 93 overall

As mentioned, the Utes typically recruit well, still it has to be frustrating for the fanbase to see Utah low on the conference and national listing with five total commitments. The good news, only one of the Top 10 in-state players have committed, linebacker Bodie Schoonover (American Fork) to BYU. Out of state teams are also targeting top Utah players, but the Utes stand to make a run on securing the state lines in the coming months. Competing against the nation and BYU for in-state players is never easy. The Cougars took three of the Top 10 in 2019 while the Utes landed two.

Top Recruits

3-Star WR Money Parks – Aledo (TX)

3-Star QB Katravis Marsh – Miami Central (FL)

3-Star SS Kamo’I Latu – St. Louis (HI)

3-Star SS Ben Renfro – Magnolia (TX)

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Photo credit: recruitingnewsguru.com; Josh Jackson