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 18.
The final countdown
We have reached the last weekend for official visits. With so many recruits making early commitments, the visit calendar is fairly light in late June.
Some schools originally anticipated having at least 10 prospects on campus this weekend, only to see those targets move their visit schedules up or commit elsewhere.
Still, there are plenty of schools with key recruits coming to town and negotiations set to unfold. Targets who already visited once could return for unofficial visits, with their representatives, to finalize deals.
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It's all in the art of the deal, which has become the most important part of the recruiting process.
Pac-10 legacies visits
Three schools will host the sons of illustrious alumni this weekend. All three were in the Pac-10 when their fathers played — and those same dads are expected to join their sons for the visits.
– One is already committed to follow in his father’s footsteps: Duece Jones-Drew, the running back from Concord (California) De La Salle, who will wear No. 21 for UCLA just as his father, All-American Maurice Jones-Drew, did in the early 2000s.
Duece Jones-Drew committed to the Bruins in April after initially expressing interest in carving his own path. Ultimately, Jones-Drew realized that path would run through Westwood, not far from where his dad now serves as the LA Rams’ radio color analyst.
Nasim Eason, defensive back at Higley High School, keeps eyes on the ball during practice in Gilbert on Aug. 12, 2024.
– Arizona State could be close to landing cornerback Nasim Eason, the son of former Sun Devil defensive back Nijrell Eason, a Thorpe Award finalist. The younger Eason committed to San Diego State in January but decommitted last weekend after the Sun Devils reaffirmed an earlier offer. Things are trending for Arizona State to land him on the official visit.
Mountain View OL Tye Kennedy (right) runs a drill during Mesa Public Schools spring football showcase, on May 6.
– Meanwhile, Tye Kennedy, the Mesa (Arizona) Mountain View offensive tackle will visit Washington, the same school for which his father, Lincoln Kennedy, became a two-time Morris Trophy Award winner and unanimous All-American.
The younger Kennedy also took an official visit to Utah this month, but the Huskies have been the longtime family favorite for him (even with his older brother, Zach Banner, having started at USC).
Detroit: Duck City
Oregon heads into the 2026 season as a trendy pick to win the national title thanks largely to the talent of returning quarterback Dante Moore, who prepped for Martin Luther King High School in Detroit.
Well, the Ducks will have more Detroit in their future after winning a recruiting battle against Michigan this week.
Harper Woods wide receiver Dakota Guerrant (1) runs a route during a Division 4 regional final against Divine Child High School at John Glenn High School in Westland on Nov. 15, 2025.
Oregon had long been the leader for Harper Woods receiver Dakota Guerrant, the No. 1 player in the Great Lakes State. But the Wolverines wouldn’t go away, especially under new head coach Kyle Whittingham.
Still, the Ducks were playing from ahead, and Guerrant announced for Oregon on Tuesday, keeping the Detroit pipeline going.
No place like home
After leaving his Bay Area home to play for Bishop Gorman High in Las Vegas, four-star cornerback Kamil Loud appeared set to do the very same thing in college: go national.
Florida State tried to convince the Under Armour All-American to relocate to Tallahassee and planned to host him for an official visit this weekend.
But Cal was relentless in bringing the Bay Area native home.
Coach Tosh Lupoi, himself a Bay Area native, turned up the pressure. On his official visit to Berkeley last weekend, Loud announced he would play for the Bears.
Beavers land in-state standout
So far, four of the top five players in Oregon's high school class of 2027 have committed to remaining at home for college, with Oregon landing three of them.
But Oregon State got on the board with a commitment from Willamette High linebacker Kawai Chamberlin. And in the process, the Beavers won a new-school Pac-12 recruiting battle.
Chamberlin had visited conference newcomers Boise State and San Diego State, but the connection with OSU defensive coordinator Cort Dennison and head coach JaMarcus Shephard was too strong to reject.
