Brandon Huffman – Pac-12 Football Recruiting Notebook

(AP Photo/Ralph Freso, File)

The foundation for recruiting success during the December signing window often is laid in the spring, when on-campus visits are taken, shortlists created and verbal commitments made.

The Hotline is delighted to provide Pac-12 fans with a dive into the process through the eyes and ears of Brandon Huffman, the Seattle-based national recruiting analyst for 247Sports.

Huffman will relay news and insight into the latest developments and cast an eye ahead to upcoming events that will shape the 2022-23 recruiting cycle.

The following information, in his words, was provided to the Hotline on May 30 …


*** It was a big week for commitments in the Pac-12, with three four-star defensive players announcing for three separate Pac-12 schools. And in the case of UCLA, a four-star running back was added to the mix, as well.

*** Let’s start with Kodi Decambra, a four-star safety out of Bishop Gorman in Las Vegas and the No. 3 overall player in the state of Nevada.

He announced his commitment to Oregon on Memorial Day, choosing the Ducks over a late push by Stanford, which made a recent scholarship offer, and Washington, where Decambra took an official visit, and over his native Hawaii.

He gives the Ducks another stellar commitment in this class.

*** But the news wasn’t all bad for Stanford, which received a commitment from four-star cornerback Jshawn Frausto-Ramos from St. John Bosco. He’s the key defensive back for the vaunted Bosco defense — they will be a favorite for the state championship.

To get that commitment shows the power of the Stanford scholarship offer. The Cardinal was actually one of Frausto-Ramos’ more recent offers. He visited in the spring, for Junior Day, but they didn’t make an offer until May 22. From there, it didn’t take him long to commit — less than 10 days, in fact.

It’s a nice pickup for Stanford going into that powerhouse Bosco program.

*** On Friday evening, UCLA grabbed a commitment from four-star linebacker Tre Edwards of Mater Dei — the other Mater Dei, in Chula Vista.

Edwards had a host of Pac-12 offers, but UCLA turned up the heat once it hired Ken Norton Jr. (in March). He recruited Edwards primarily as an inside linebacker.

Two days before that, the Bruins got their first San Diego-based commitment in this class, and it was a big one:

Roderick Robinson, a four-star tailback from the same Lincoln High School program that produced Marcus Allen and Terrell Davis.

The 230-pound Robinson took an official visit to UCLA a few weeks ago. Georgia and Florida made major pushes for him, but (UCLA running backs coach) DeShaun Foster and head coach Chip Kelly may have found an eventual replacement for Zach Charbonnet.

*** The Pac-12 did lose a couple players from the footprint in the past week.

Jayden Limar, a four-star running back from Lake Stevens High School in Washington, committed to Notre Dame, and DeAndre Moore Jr., a four-star receiver from Los Alamitos (CA), announced for Louisville.

At one time, Moore had committed to play for Oklahoma under former coach Lincoln Riley. Now, Riley is at USC, and two of Moore’s five-star teammates at Los Alamitos, quarterback Malachi Nelson and athlete Makai Lemon, are committed to USC.

But instead, Moore will follow another quarterback (Pierce Clarkson of St. John Bosco) and head to Louisville.

Louisville continues to make a push in Southern California, with four commitments in the class of 2023.

*** The spring evaluation period ends May 31, but with that ending, the college camp circuit begins in June.

UCLA is hosting its first summer camp this Saturday, while a number of schools are hosting official visits. June is when you expect to see a bigger batch of official visits.

One of the biggest camps in the West is set for June 4. That’s the Western Oregon Showcase, which will feature Oregon coach Dan Lanning and his staff.

There are nine Pac-12 staffs in all, plus Big Ten and Big 12 staffs.

Colleges can host camps on their campuses or co-host mega-camps, but those have to be at FCS, Division II or Division III schools. All camps are required to be at NCAA universities.

You’ll start to see more and more camps popping up over the next month, giving coaches a last chance to evaluate guys before they head into summer vacation and the start of their seasons.


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