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 Nov. 12 …
Stretch run to early signings
With less than three weeks until the early signing period, which begins Dec. 2, last-minute jostling is all the rage.
Gone are the days of official visits (OVs) concluding, en masse, during the regular season. But for late risers and prospects looking for a new spot, OVs are unfolding for members of the 2027 class.
In fact, we’re keeping close watch on Eugene this weekend, where former Fresno State pledge Relando Jefferson will take an official visit to Oregon.
Jefferson decommitted from the Bulldogs at the end of October and hastily scheduled an unofficial visit to Oregon. On that trip, he watched the Ducks beat Northwestern and received a scholarship offer, then set up an OV for Saturday’s date with Michigan.
All signs point to a commitment.
At the same time, Arizona has another former Pac-12 pledge, Landon Guenter, from the California Central Valley, in town for an official visit.
Guenter decommitted from Washington State last month and took an OV to Utah State, where his father played. This week, he’ll attend Arizona’s showdown against No. 2 Utah.
But Guenter won’t be the only former Pac-12 commitment in Tucson. He’ll be joined by Southern California lineman Seth Sullivan, who decommitted from San Diego State last month, and is trending for the Wildcats.
Bruins seek the Lowe road
UCLA plays a Friday night game against Illinois this week. It’s not an optimal situation for recruits because of high school playoffs.
The Bruins have a nominal list of prep prospects scheduled to attend. They also will welcome the No. 2 junior college prospect in the country: edge rusher Hayden Lowe from Long Beach City College.
Lowe was an elite recruit out of high school, a top-35 player nationally in the class of 2025 from the San Fernando Valley who signed with Miami. The Hurricanes had flipped him from USC, but he left the program in the summer.
Lowe bounced back to Long Beach City College, and it now appears to be a three-team race between Tennessee, where he visited last week, Alabama, where he’s visiting later this month and UCLA, where he’ll be this weekend.
Can the Bruins convince Lowe to stay home once and for all?
They’re certainly going to try.
Beavers land in-state pair
Oregon State may have lost its last two games, but the Beavers continue to build momentum with in-state recruits.
In the past week, they landed a pair of prospects: The first is Derek Earl from Willamette High School in Eugene, which happens to be the home of their highest-rated in-state commit for 2027, Kawai Chamberlin.
Earl is a cornerback who had been committed to Eastern Washington but has shined as a senior. The Beavers made a move and landed his commitment.
They also went to Banks High School in Oregon for offensive lineman Cade Wilson, who had a number of Big Sky offers (and San Jose State, as well).
But he chose Oregon State, too.
Boise State’s big opportunity
Speaking of the Beavers, they head on the road to Boise State this weekend to face the highest-ranked Group of Six school.
The preseason favorite to win the rebuilt Pac-12, the Broncos have just one loss, at Oregon in the season opener.
Since then, they have reeled off eight consecutive wins. While this game has lost some luster with Oregon State’s losing streak, it still has attracted plenty of attention, with ESPN’s ‘College GameDay’ coming to town.
What’s coming to town is one thing. Who’s staying in town is even bigger: receiver Quincey Clay, the No. 1 recruit in Idaho in the class of 2028.
Clay has visited Oregon, USC, UCLA and Utah this fall. (All four rank in the top 25.) But now, the hometown Broncos will have him inside Albertsons Stadium.
And he won’t look far to see a true freshman making an impact. Star freshman receiver Rasean Jones played at nearby Rocky Mountain High School in Meridian, so there’s tangible evidence that the Broncos will play rookies.
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The post Huffman Recruiting roundup: UCLA goes Lowe, Boise State’s big weekend, Oregon State lands a pair first appeared on Sports360AZ.