The Hotline is delighted to provide college football 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 Sept. 4 …
College coaches say it every signing day: Stars don’t matter.
Whether they actually believe that is up for debate. Many coaches want their recruiting classes rated higher than they are which, of course, can be both blessing and curse.
But while every class has a headliner, there are typically unheralded recruits who end up being the backbone of the program. For example: Just about every Utah star recruited by Kyle Whittingham.
It could be a four-star prospect who’s overshadowed by teammates or a high three-star prospect who might not have NFL ability but could be an impact college player.
It could be a relative unknown from an obscure town or the son of a former NFL standout who doesn’t have the fanfare his father received or, perhaps, a developing player who barely registers with the recruiting services.
But these recruits are vital.
Here’s a look at one unheralded commit from the class of 2025 for the former and current Pac-12 schools.
The Wildcats’ offensive line is currently anchored by a former three-star recruit from Hawaii, Jonah Savaiinaea. Can they catch lightning a second time with Goo? He was one of the top performers at the Under Armour Next Camp in Hawaii this summer after committing to Arizona in June. And he has impressed thus far as a senior.
The Bishop Gorman High School offensive line is arguably the best in prep football, with three Top247 prospects. Iosua isn’t one of them, but he’s just as crucial to the Gaels’ success. (The Las Vegas powerhouse is currently the No. 1 team in the country, per ESPN.) While Iosua is overshadowed by his teammates up front, the Sun Devils got a steal in the versatile prospect.
The town of Fortuna is one of the Westernmost cities in the state of California, 4.5 hours from Berkeley in a small farming community. So the Bears, who count another faraway Northern California native as an alumnus — Aaron Rodgers — would love to have Houseworth experience a similar blossoming while with Cal. Credit first-year tight ends coach Mike Saffell here. He uncovered a gem from the town with a population of just north of 12,000.
An in-state commitment would normally not qualify as an under-the-radar, unheralded recruit. But nothing is normal about recruiting under Deion Sanders, who has focused heavily on the transfer portal and on out-of-state recruiting. DeSouza, the No. 3 prospect in the state — he’s from Loveland, 35 miles from Boulder — is the first in-state recruit that Sanders himself offered and received a commitment from.
The Ducks have done a great job recruiting in Washington the past few years under Dan Lanning, and Manning is a top-five player in the state. But the high three-star prospect is the lowest-rated commitment for the Ducks (other than specialists). That says more about Oregon’s recruiting class in 2025 than it does about Manning. With an 84-inch wing span, he had offers from all over the country. The Ducks’ skill-position heavy class has overshadowed him a bit.
Speaking of overshadowed … Jackson isn’t even the best player in his own family. His father, Steven, spent a dozen years in the NFL and was a three-time Pro Bowler with the Rams. But he’s best remembered for being arguably the top running back in Oregon State history. The younger Jackson will often be compared to his father, especially since he may start out on offense, but his goal is to create his own legacy.
Punahou HS in Honolulu is known for being President Barack Obama’s alma mater — and the same for ex-Notre Dame star Manti Te’o. Even now, another Punahou linebacker is headed to South Bend: Utu’s teammate, Ko’a Kia, who has received much of the attention (and deservedly so). But Utu, a recent Polynesian Bowl selection, quietly committed to Stanford in the spring and is off to a great start as a senior.
First-year head coach DeShaun Foster has focused on California, but the former all-Pac-12 running back went in to the Lone Star State for the son of another Pac-12 product. (Coleman’s father, Fred, played for Washington in the late 1990s.) At the time of Coleman’s commitment, UCLA was the first Power Four school to offer a scholarship. Since then, SEC offers have been rolling in.
The Bellevue (Wash.) offensive line is so good that it has two players on this list: Wascher’s teammate is Oregon commit Demetri Manning. But it also reveals how difficult it is for lineman to generate attention at a high school that has produced so many great skill players over the years. Wascher is arguably the best pure center in the West, and the Trojans are glad to have reeled him in.
Mater Dei is the defending state champion in California largely because of its salty defense. And while there were stars in the secondary — Zabien Brown is playing as a true freshman at Alabama, for example — and playmakers on the edges, the heart and soul of the defensive is Taulanga. He’s the prototypical Utah recruit: overshadowed and under-appreciated.
The Huskies had inconsistent success recruiting in-state prospects under Kalen DeBoer, but first-year coach Jedd Fisch has made it a priority — and the Huskies have secured pledges from five in-state players in the 2025 class. Colman-Brusa is the lowest-rated of the bunch but has continued to improve. He’s even overshadowed at the kitchen table: His younger brother, Derek Colman-Brusa, is the No. 1 player in the state of Washington in 2026 and a four-star prospect.
Like many other players on this list, Smith is part of a loaded squad — the defense for Oaks Christian HS (in Westlake Village, Calif.) has three Top247 prospects across the board, and two are in the secondary. The long and physical Smith is often overlooked because of the talent around him, but don’t be fooled: He has the size and skill set to be an instant impact player for the Cougars.
*** Send suggestions, comments and tips (confidentiality guaranteed) to wilnerhotline@bayareanewsgroup.com or call 408-920-5716
*** Follow Huffman on Twitter/X via @BrandonHuffman and please support @AveryStrongDIPG
*** Follow me on Twitter/X: @WilnerHotline
