Huffman on recruiting: Oregon outmaneuvers USC, BYU’s tight end target, Arizona needs to “get well quickly”

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 Oct. 17 …

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Ducks make their point

Basking in the afterglow of his victory over Ohio State on Saturday night, Oregon coach Dan Lanning told reporters he needed to leave the post-game press conference.

His reasoning? He had to recruit.

Lanning is always recruiting. Always.

Instead of relishing in the breakthrough win, Lanning pivoted to the players’ lounge, where so many top prospects — both regionally and nationally — were gathered.

Some of them could not wait to announce their commitments.

The next day, one of the premier two-way linemen in the class of 2026, Tomuhini Topui, pledged to the Ducks. A four-star prospect and the No. 8 defensive lineman in the country, Topui’s commitment continued the pipeline from Mater Dei High School (in Santa Ana, California) to Eugene that has been a burr in the saddle for USC, which once cornered the market on Monarchs.

Oregon got over on USC again on Monday, when Lanning flipped another defensive lineman in the 2026 class: Three-star recruit Viliami Moala, who had committed to the Trojans just a month earlier. One of the top-10 players in Utah — and it’s shaping up as the Beehive State’s best class in recent memory — Moala hurts the Trojans and helps the Ducks with his commitment flip.

And they might not be finished.

Oregon is trending for the No. 3 player in California in 2026, linebacker Talanoa Ili, and for the top uncommitted prospect in Central California in 2025, McKay Madsen, who plans to serve a Church Mission before enrolling in 2027.

With all eyes on Autzen Stadium on Saturday night, Lanning and the Ducks made their presence known.

Trojans get good news

Despite blowing a two-touchdown lead against Penn State and then losing Moala to Oregon, it wasn’t all bad for USC coach Lincoln Riley — message boards and social media criticism notwithstanding.

On Sunday, the No. 2 prospect in Illinois in 2026, defensive lineman Braeden Jones, committed to the Trojans.

A day later, they flipped one-time Mississippi State commit Steve Miller, a safety from Georgia who carries a three-star rating.

And USC continues to be the favorite for the No. 2 quarterback in the country, Ryder Lyons from Folsom (California), the younger brother of current USC tight end Walker Lyons. A top-10 player nationally with scholarship offers from Oregon, Alabama and Georgia, Lyons would be a huge victory for the Trojans.

BYU’s big start leads to results

The quietest 6-0 team in the country has to be Brigham Young, but the Cougars don’t mind the anonymity. Coach Kalani Sitake is moving in silence, and the results speak for themselves.

The Cougars received a huge jolt on campus with their blowout victory over Arizona, and the festivities included  hosting the No. 2 tight end in the country, Brock Harris, who’s also the top player in Utah in the class of 2026.

Georgia and Oregon have been out in front for much of Harris’ recruitment — he’s originally from Portland — and he was expected to attend the Oregon-Ohio State game. He decided to spend the day in Provo instead.

And the Cougars couldn’t have made a bigger impression on Harris. They are smack in the middle of the race for his commitment.

Additionally, BYU pulled in a commitment from Hawaii defensive lineman Vincent Tautua, who is from famed St. Louis High School in Honolulu.

Wildcats looking for positives

Since its victory over Utah in late September, Arizona has lost at home to Texas Tech and on the road to BYU.

The Wildcats face Colorado on Saturday and need to get well quickly because coach Brent Brennan and Co. will have one of their biggest recruiting weekends of the year.

Vance Spafford, a receiver in the class of 2026 who won the Fastest Man at the Future 50 in Florida this past summer, will headline the contingent of California prospects in Tucson. Also expected to attend: Juju Johnson, a top-100 athlete in the 247Sports ratings.

Terry Shelton, the Wildcats’ highest-rated commit in the 2025 class — he’s a four-star prospect from Carrollton, Texas — will also be there.

But Arizona hopes to make the biggest impression on the in-state recruits, a group that includes receiver Devin Fitzgerald, the son of Arizona Cardinals legend Larry Fitzgerald.

The time to heal is now for Arizona.

JC visitors to watch

The days of junior college players being recruited at volume seem to have waned. Just don’t try convincing Oregon State or Cal of that — both schools are expected to host a significant recruit this weekend.

Cal will welcome College of San Mateo (California) edge rusher Odera Okaka to campus. He’s only the second-ranked junior college edge player in the country and nearing 20 scholarship offers. But the Bears will get him in Memorial Stadium for the second time in three weeks.

Oregon State will host cornerback Jalil Tucker, from Mesa College in San Diego.

He’s plenty familiar with the state having signed with Oregon out of high school in 2022. But after coach Mario Cristobal left Oregon for Miami, Tucker hesitated to sign with Lanning. He finally inked scholarship papers with the Ducks, then left Oregon the following spring and transferred to hometown San Diego State.

That wasn’t the end, however. Tucker then left the Aztecs to play at Mesa College. Now, the Beavers are in the mix thanks to defensive coordinator Keith Heyward, who had recruited Tucker in high school.

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