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. 12 …
The highest-rated uncommitted recruit in the West will come off the board next week.
Jerome Myles, the No. 1 prospect in Utah and the 30th-rated overall player in the 2025 class, will announce his decision on September 18th. His finalists: Texas A&M, USC and Utah.
The situation was trending toward the Utes keeping the five-star talent at home, especially with his former high school quarterback, Isaac Wilson, playing for Utah.
But recent buzz has momentum flipping toward USC, and the Trojans would love to snag the All-American.
UCLA had a week off to figure out what went wrong in its narrow season-opening victory at Hawaii.
Up next is the home opener, the Big Ten opener (against Indiana) and the home coaching debut for DeShaun Foster, the former Bruins star running back.
It’s also a chance to impress several of UCLA’s 2026 and 2027 recruits.
Two of the top prospects scheduled to attend the 4:30 p.m. kickoff are four-star linebackers, Tristan Phillips from Ventura and Taven Epps from Tustin.
Epps’ recruitment will be intriguing. He has family members on both UCLA’s playing roster and Washington’s coaching staff.
Meanwhile, Tustin High happens to be Foster’s alma mater. He was inducted into the Tillers’ Hall of Fame in their opening game, watched Epps play and then made him one of UCLA’s first 2027 offered recruits.
When Cal landed quarterback Jaron Keawe Sagapolutele in July, it was a nice win for the Bears, who lost their original quarterback commit in this class, Robert McDaniel, to Arizona.
But with a great start to his senior year, Sagapolutele is seeing his recruitment take off again. Utah, for example, offered a scholarship earlier this week.
The top recruit in Hawaii, Sagapolutele is also receiving interest from USC and Notre Dame. Both teams have long-standing quarterback commits in Juju Lewis and Deuce Knight, respectively. But neither pledge is solid, so the Trojans and Irish are keeping Sagapolutele warm.
And forcing the Bears to hold on.
Here comes USC again on the recruiting trail. Fresh off their 2-0 start, the Trojans recently landed two commitments.
The resurgence of a once-proud tradition under first-year defensive coordinator D’Anton Lynn has made waves in the recruiting world. It was no surprise, then, that the commitments came on Lynn’s side of the ball.
On Monday, four-star linebacker Ty Jackson from Florida (class of 2025) committed to the Trojans.
A day later, four-star defensive tackle Viliami Moala from Utah (class of 2026) did the same.
Add the buzz that Myles could be committing to USC, and the vibes are good in Troy.
Oregon State’s home date with Oregon on Saturday has been circled on the calendar for some time, even if it’s happening much sooner than normal.
The last time the teams met, the Beavers were playing their final game under Jonathan Smith, a blowout loss in Eugene before Smith left for Michigan State the next day.
Now, the Beavers are off to a 2-0 start and return to Reser Stadium, where they have won their last two games against the Ducks.
OSU first-year coach Trent Bray will have over 75 recruits, several from within the state, on hand for a nationally televised game against the Ducks — and a chance to make a big impression.
While the Beavers have a loaded list of commits and targets, two notable visitors will be there:
— Jackson Doman, the 2025 tight end from Canby (Oregon) who’s the No. 2 recruit in the state and currently committed to Brigham Young.
— Running back LaMarcus Bell, the No. 4 recruit in the state in the 2026 class and a major target for the Beavers.
The Civil War is a prime opportunity for Bray and the Beavers in a matchup of one of the Pac-12 holdovers against its, um, Big Ten rival.
We’ll dive more into the recruiting ramifications of the new look Pac-12 — the configuration that starts in 2026 — in this space next week.
But on the surface, the additions of Boise State, Colorado State, Fresno State and San Diego State should increase the recruiting level of the conference while also presenting some unique challenges for Washington State and Oregon State.
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