Commentary on Pac-12 developments, on and off the field β¦
Rising
ASUβs short-term outlook
The ethical situation remains decidedly suboptimal for the Sun Devils after reports that they hosted recruits during the COVID dead period and are under NCAA investigation.
But from a competitive standpoint, the Sun Devils are in fine shape for the 2021 season after dodging a mass exodus related to the scandal.
July 1 was the deadline for players to transfer and retain eligibility for the 2021 season. According to the public-facing database published by 247Sports, only a handful of ASU players entered the portal β all of them reserves.
Exactly how many starters considered leaving in the final weeks of the transfer cycle, we can only guess.
Exactly what the football leadership told those players about the timing of the ongoing investigation, we cannot say.
But even with confirmation of violations and an accelerated timeline, the NCAA sanctioning process may not resolve itself this calendar year.
The greatest off-the-field threat to ASUβs success would be self-imposed sanctions, similar to what Arizona basketball did last fall with regard to the NCAA Tournament.
But that outcome seems unlikely, in part because of the interlocking stakes that permeate ASUβs leadership chain:
Coach Herm Edwards has built his roster for a run at the conference title this fall.
Athletic director Ray Anderson has pinned his legacy on Edwards, his personal friend and former business partner.
Meanwhile, president Michael Crow revels in the public perception of ASU as a leader in innovation, the afterglow of the decisions to hire Anderson and Edwards, and the crafting of the βNew Leadership Model,β the fancy-pants term to describe the football programβs operating structure that was mocked from Tucson to Tunisia.
Edwards, Anderson and Crow β their reputations are forever, inexorably intertwined, and at the core lies the 2021 season, with all its promise for success.
As a result, weβre deeply skeptical that ASUβs leadership would voluntarily take a hammer to that connection and self-impose sanctions that blow their dreams to smithereens.
Falling
Washington recruiting
What seemed inevitable before the pandemic became reality on Independence Day, when mega-recruit J.T. Tuimoloau shunned his hometown school and picked Ohio State.
The Huskies had hoped for a surprise commitment from the five-star defensive lineman, especially after they were well positioned as his first official visit.
The decision leaves UW with an incoming class that would have been plenty respectable in other years β the Huskies rated well on a per-player basis β but is an undeniable letdown given the unique circumstances.
The state of Washington had three five-star prospects in the class of 2021; UW landed only one.
Weβll avoid conclusions until December. One recruiting class in one pandemic year does not necessarily mean a doom-and-gloom outlook for the Jimmy Lake era, especially when the on-the-field developments last fall, while limited, were positive.
But if the Huskies struggle again in the 2022 recruiting cycle β there is one five-star player in the state, offensive lineman Josh Conerly β then it might be time for the faithful to fret.
Rising
Pac-12 commissioner George Kliavkoff
The new boss has been on the job for six days and kept a notably low profile.
He published a letter to Pac-12 athletes on his first day (July 1) and issued a statement on Twitter related to Name, Image and Likeness legislation but has otherwise avoided the media (social and otherwise) glare.
(Full transparency: The Hotlineβs request for an interview about his plans for Day One was politely declined by the conference office.)
Kliavkoffβs desire to lay low was entirely predictable and is undeniably wise.
His predecessor, Larry Scott, suffered from overexposure β his instinctive lean into the spotlight, his desire to be the story and take the credit for successes, often led to unsettling optics.
Those optics hurt Scottβs personal brand and the Pac-12βs collective brand.
Even the university presidents noticed β to the point that they included the following sentence in the job description for Scottβs successor:
βThe Pac-12 isnβt necessarily desirous of an ongoing βspokesperson.ββ
We fully expect Kliavkoff to pick his spots carefully and control his narrative.
For that purpose, he may very well use social media β something Scott didnβt do but perhaps should have.
Falling
Pac-12 recruiting
Tuimoloauβs decision to attend Ohio State is a huge recruiting loss, not only for Washington but the conference at large.
Itβs not unusual for the Pac-12 footprint to produce, and for Pac-12 programs to sign, elite defensive ends and outside linebackers β players often described generally as edge rushers.
We saw that in 2019 with Kayvon Thibodeaux (Oregon), in 2020 with Savβell Smalls (Washington) and in 2021 with Korey Foreman (USC).
But Tuimoloau is an interior lineman, with a frame to handle 300 pounds and the power to collapse the pocket.
Heβs the first-round0bound defensive tackle we typically see playing for Clemson, Ohio State and Alabama in the College Football Playoff.
But thereβs one difference: Tuimoloau is from Seattle, not Birmingham or Atlanta or Cleveland.
Heβs an unlimited-ceiling player at a high-value position from the Pac-12 footprint, and he got away.
Rising
Washingtonβs schedule
Well, well, well. Look whoβs coming to Seattle β¦ in 2028.
Faithful Hotline readers are undoubtedly aware that we keep close track of scheduling matters, whether itβs football or basketball, conference or non-conference, policy matters or contractual issues.
And admittedly, we were deeply skeptical that Michigan would ever agree to making up the canceled game in Husky Stadium.
Coach Jim Harbaughβs interest in the trek was extremely limited, if not nonexistent, before COVID.
For the Wolverines to reschedule the game in the post-pandemic world, when excuses were plentiful, is both highly commendable and fairly stunning.
As relentlessly as UW pursued the makeup date, a willing partner was required.
When combined with the revised series against Michigan State and the untouched home-and-home with Ohio State, UWβs future schedule looks considerably more impressive.
We can draw only one (half-serious) conclusion from the development:
Jim Harbaugh has no plans to be coaching Michigan in 2028.
