The Hotline is delighted to provide West Coast fans with a regular dive into the recruiting process through the eyes and ears of Brandon Huffman, the Phoenix-based national recruiting analyst for Rivals/On3. He submitted the following report on June 12.
Time is of the essence
As the accelerated recruiting college football calendar continues to wreak havoc, the much-anticipated official visits, either by the school or the recruit, are beginning to dwindle.
Gone are the days of wanting the last visit. If a prospect sees what he likes early in his slate, he commits. If a school doesn’t land the player on that visit, it ramps up effort with the following week’s visitors.
Some players had four visits set for June, and a slew of them took just one before ending their recruitments.
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The list for this weekend is as light as any we have seen in the spring, and next weekend — the final weekend — could be even lighter.
In the western region, Nevada and Utah are the only states in which the No. 1-ranked player remains uncommitted.
That’s how quickly things are moving these days.
Key visits to watch
As mentioned, only Nevada and Utah have their top-rated player uncommitted.
Of course, a pair of Pac-12 legacy schools will be hosting those recruits this weekend.
Nevada’s top player, cornerback Hayden Stepp, will visit Oregon before taking a midweek visit to Cal next week.
Stepp’s teammate at Bishop Gorman High School, Jett Washington, is a freshman with the Ducks and will serve as his host. Stepp will also tour Georgia next weekend.
Meanwhile, Utah’s No. 1 recruit, All-American safety/receiver Bode Sparrow, won’t have to go far for his official visit.
The Utes will host Sparrow this weekend, and they would love to keep the local star home. But Oklahoma and Oregon, the perceived frontrunners, have already hosted him, and BYU still gets a shot.
Utah will also host the No. 2 player in Washington, four-star Polynesian Bowl selection Rashaun Lavata’i.
The offensive tackle has also visited Washington State, and he’ll spend next weekend on Montlake with the Huskies.
The No. 2 recruit in Oregon, Josh Christensen, an edge rusher from Lake Oswego, will take his official visit to Eugene this weekend before he visits Cal in the early part of next week.
Kevin Cummings: elite recruiter
When talking about the top recruiters in college football, not enough praise is given to Washington receivers coach Kevin Cummings.
There should be more.
The former Oregon State receiver, who played at Crespi High School in Encino, California, was the coach who flipped Tetairoa McMillan from Oregon to Arizona, where he became a first-round draft pick. And he helped develop former Husky receiver Denzel Boston into a second-round pick.
Assistant coach Kevin Cummings, right, applies defensive pressure to wide receiver Tetairoa McMillan (4) while running an offensive drill during Day 1 of Arizona Football's spring practice at Dick Tomey Practice Fields in Tucson on March 2, 2022.
Cummings' recruiting chops have been on display in the last two cycles.
Last year, he flipped Jordan Clay from Baylor to Washington and took Mason James out of Norman (Oklahoma).
This year, though, has been his best work.
The No. 1 player in the state, Braylon Pope, committed to the Huskies back in December, staying close to his home in Sumner, Washington.
Cummings' most recent pickup was Arizona four-star receiver Dontay Tyson, his second wideout from the Grand Canyon State after Zerek Sidney. He also landed Tre Moore, a four-star prospect from Texas.
And he may not be done. The Huskies have a strong chance to land Under Armour All-American Osani Gayles, who attends IMG Academy in Florida but is originally from Stockton, California, and was offered a scholarship by Cummings two years ago.
Gayles raved about his official visit last weekend and is now down to the Huskies, Alabama and Stanford, where his father, Eddie, played on the 1999 Pac-10 championship team.
If Cummings can land that fifth receiver, he might finally get that national attention.
National brand stays local
Yes, Oregon is a national brand.
No, Oregon doesn’t ignore its backyard.
The Ducks have the No. 2 player in the state visiting this weekend in three-star edge rusher Josh Christensen.
Lake Oswego High School defensive lineman Josh Christensen arrives at the Washington Huskies' Junior Day.
And in the past week, they landed two in-state commitments — both from players who had previously pledged elsewhere.
Oregon secured Malachi Garlington, a big receiver from Happy Valley, just days after he announced a commitment to Washington State. (The official visit to Eugene swung him.)
On that same visit, the Ducks hosted George VanSandt from Portland.
A one-time pledge to Arkansas, VanSandt changed his mind when the home-state school made its push.
And for good measure, the Ducks went back to Seattle's Rainier Beach — the same high school that provided former Duck star and NFL first-rounder Josh Conerly Jr. — to land another two-sport standout in Achilles Reyna.
The 6-foot-7 Reyna has played football for just one year. Basketball is his first love, and he helped the Vikings win the 3A state title in March.
But his future is football, although he may get a shot at playing basketball in Eugene, and the Ducks won his services over Utah.
