Huffman on Recruiting: The five West Coast (college) games that will shape the landscape in 2027-28

The Hotline is delighted to provide West Coast fans with a regular dive into the recruiting process through the eyes and ears of Brandon Huffman, the Phoenix-based national recruiting analyst for Rivals/On3. He submitted the following report on Sept. 17 …

With relatively weak non-conference schedules along the West Coast this season, there have been few showcases that can be used to attract recruits to campus.

The situation improves with the arrival of conference play and steadily gains steam. The final five weeks feature a slew of mega-matchups, from Seattle to Los Angeles, that offer schools the opportunity to draw recruits to campus.

Here are the five biggest West Coast games of the season from a recruiting standpoint, listed chronologically.

Ohio State at USC (Oct. 31)

With respect to Oregon at USC next weekend, this is Ohio State in the LA Coliseum with all the pomp and pageantry you’d expect.

The Buckeyes haven’t played a regular-season game in Southern California since 2008, when they faced what may have been the best Pete Carroll-era USC team that didn’t play for a national title. (USC won handily, 35-3, over the Jim Tressel-coached Buckeyes.)

Now, the preseason No. 1 team visits the Southland with a quarterback, Julian Sayin, who grew up in nearby Carlsbad, and a head coach, Ryan Day, who has recruited the region effectively.

Forget what the stadium looks like before kickoff. There won’t be many empty seats once the game begins.

USC is planning to use Halloween night as a showcase for recruits in the high school classes of 2028 and 2029. And if Lincoln Riley’s team continues winning — the Oregon game Sept. 26 could tell the story — then recruits will easily pass up trick-or-treating for a treat in the Coliseum.

BYU at Utah (Nov. 7)

Have we mentioned how much these teams hate each other? The Holy War returns to Salt Lake City and could have a spot in the Big 12 championship game on the line.

The game is always important for recruiting purposes, especially within the state. But this year’s matchup adds more layers because the 2028 high school class is widely considered the best Utah has produced in years.

In fact, both BYU and Utah laid low with prospects in the 2027 class because of how good the in-state crop is the following year.

It includes elite offensive linemen like Maui Tonata, Samiu Taukiuvea, Taio Fano, Toa Feinga and Noah Seufale, plus first-rate defensive linemen like Major Stokes and Takeshi Savery.

They are all prime targets of both the host Utes and the visiting Cougars.

BYU coach Kalani Sitake wants to continue his recent mastery of the Utes, while first-year coach Morgan Scalley wants to show prospects that he’s ready to take this program to another level.

Michigan at Oregon (Nov. 14)

Two weeks into the season, this game may not feel as attractive as it looked in August due to Michigan’s controversial win over Western Michigan and Oregon’s loss to Oklahoma State.

But both programs recruit well; both schools are national brands; and given that it’s not a holiday weekend, Oregon plans to bring a barrage of prospects onto campus — more, even, than are scheduled to visit for the Washington game on Thanksgiving weekend.

First-year Michigan coach Kyle Whittingham is well-versed in recruiting the West Coast after his decades in charge at Utah. Meanwhile Oregon’s Dan Lanning has had great success recruiting the state of Utah, and both coaching staffs have deep ties to the Polynesian community.

This duel should have recruits from all over the country.

Indiana at Washington (Nov. 21)

For the third straight year, Washington is hosting the defending national champions. They beat Michigan two years ago, then lost to Ohio State last season.

With a mediocre home schedule in September and a Friday night conference game in October, the Huskies have turned this Week 12 showdown with the Hoosiers into their biggest recruiting weekend of the season.

All the key in-state targets are expected to attend, plus elite national prospects, including five-star edge rusher Jalanie George.

USC at UCLA (Nov. 28)

A rivalry that has been based in mediocrity for the last few years could have some juice again, what with the Trojans signing the No. 1 class in 2026 and UCLA showing signs of life on the recruiting trail under new coach Bob Chesney.

The Bruins have a top-20 class in the 2026-27 cycle and loads of interest from Southern California recruits.

Upon taking charge as USC’s general manager in early 2025, Chad Bowden placed his immediate focus on recapturing the best recruits in Southern California.

Darrick Yray, UCLA’s first-year general manager, is doing the same thing.

Expect this game to look like the recruiting showdown that existed in the 2010s, when Jim Mora Jr. coached the Bruins and Lane Kiffin and Steve Sarkisian were leading the Trojans.

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