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 June 5 …
Wildcats’ call to arms
Arizona lost its 2024 quarterback signee, Demond Williams, when coach Jedd Fisch left for Washington earlier this year.
Williams, an All-American Bowl selection, followed Fisch to Seattle and created a big hole for new Arizona coach Brent Brennan.
On Memorial Day weekend, the Wildcats secured an arm for 2025 in the form of Robert McDaniel, who had been committed to Cal.
Robert McDaniel has been one of the top passers in California as a senior.
The move made sense in that McDaniel had a previous relationship with Brennan, who offered the three-star prospect from the Central Valley a scholarship during his tenure leading San Jose State.
Gilbert Higley quarterback and Arizona commit Luke Haugo looks for an opening during an October 2023 game at Higley High School.
On Tuesday, the Wildcats reeled in another quarterback with a pledge from Luke Haugo, the highest-rated quarterback in the state and the No. 8 overall player in Arizona.
Sun Devils stay hot
As temperatures rise in the desert, the recruiting outlook for Kenny Dillingham is doing the same: Arizona State has strengthened its stranglehold on the top spot in the Big 12.
With 17 commitments thus far in the class of 202, the Sun Devils are No. 1 in the conference and No. 14 in the nation.
The class size increased this week with a pair of commitments from California prospects: receiver Cory Butler, one of the fastest players in the Golden State, and athlete Lee Fuimaono.
The Sun Devils also landed Michael Scott, a receiver from Pennsylvania who constitutes a recruiting victory for Hines Ward, the former Steelers receiver turned ASU assistant coach.
And they grabbed a fourth pledge, from quarterback Cameron Dyer. The verbal from Dyer was significant in that he’s the No. 2 prospect in a particularly strong class of recruits in New Mexico.
Bruins keep momentum
UCLA is also dealing with newfound success on the recruiting trail under first-year coach DeShaun Foster and pulled in a pair of top-15 players from their respective states this week.
Both commitments took official visits to Westwood over the weekend and needed just a couple days to make decisions.
On Monday, three-star prospect Dylan Sims joined the fray. The ninth-rated player in Arizona in 2025, Sims is the second tight end to commit to the Bruins following Noah Flores. (The double dose of tight ends marks a major change for a program that struggled to recruit the position under former coach Chip Kelly.)
On Tuesday, the Empire State provided UCLA’s latest success as three-star defensive lineman Tyler Partlow, from Middle Village, New York, joined the 2025 class.
Top-five recruit names three
It will be a Big Ten-SEC battle for the No. 5 overall player in California.
Noah Mikhail, a four-star linebacker from LaVerne, set his announcement date for June 30. And on Tuesday, he revealed a list of three finalists: Oregon, Texas A&M and USC.
Mikhail will start his official visit cycle this weekend, when he makes the short drive to USC.
He’ll follow up with trips to Oregon on June 14 and Texas A&M on June 21.
More officials on tap for USC
After hosting a slew of national recruits, the Trojans will welcome 18 more official visitors this weekend.
And much like previous instances under coach Lincoln Riley, the collection of prospects will be heavy on national recruits and light on in-state talents.
Outside of Mikhail, only one other Californian will be visiting USC this week: four-star safety Jadyn Hudson from the Bay Area.
The group of visitors includes an eye-popping 11 members of the Top 247 prospect rankings. Seven of them are top-100 recruits.
Headlining the list is USC’s quarterback commitment for 2025: five-star prospect Julian Lewis, from Carrollton, Georgia.
Lewis has previously visited Indiana — yes, Indiana — and will see Colorado and Auburn. The Trojans are hoping to seal him up once and for all this weekend.
