Huffman on Recruiting – USC’s in-state shift, Oregon keeps cooking and the crazy calendar

The Hotline is delighted to provide 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 Dec. 13 …

Winding Down 2024
It’s an unprecedented time in college football. As we have noted numerous times, the NCAA recruiting calendar has been directly impacted by the broad national trends.

The calendar changed dramatically with the early-signing period on Dec. 4 and the transfer portal opening on Dec. 9.

Schools can host official visitors, either from the high school ranks or the portal, until Dec. 22. After that, the dead period begins.

Transfers are permitted to visit schools from Jan. 1-5, followed by a week-long stretch in which high school recruits can tour campuses, as well.

Another dead period takes place Jan. 13-15, followed by two more weeks of visits.

Got that?

One thing has been missing this year: The frequent social media postings, so common in December, that feature coaches visiting with recruits in their homes while making the last, desperate pitch for a signature.

We haven’t seen a single coach posing next to a Christmas tree.

These days, the final conversations are usually with the name, image and likeness collectives, the agents or the handlers, as the two parties cross their ‘t’s and dot their ‘i’s.

What a time to be alive.

USC’s family affair
If you needed another reminder that time is an endless circle, USC’s newest commit in the class of 2026 is cornerback RJ Sermons.

The seventh-ranked recruit in the state of California, Sermons has a long history with the Trojans.

He’s the son of former USC running back Rodney Sermons, who signed with the Trojans in 1994, won a Rose Bowl during the 1995 season and played for both the late John Robinson as well as Paul Hackett.

The younger Sermons is one of the fastest players in California. He’ll play defense for Lincoln Riley.

A different approach?
With the pledge from Sermons — and with signs pointing to four-star tight end Caleb Tafua (class of 2026) pledging to USC — could the Trojans finally be prioritizing California under the Riley regime?

Much has been made about their focus on the Southeast and Texas and the subsequent recruiting misses on the West Coast.

The Trojans lead for the No. 1 recruit in California in the class of 2026, Folsom High School quarterback Ryder Lyons, whose older brother, Walker, already plays for USC.

But could this signal a renewed emphasis on the Golden State? It should. Four of the top-15 prep seniors in California have signed with Alabama, three with Texas A&M and two with Penn State.

USC, the state’s flagship football program, signed two.

That won’t clear the bar in a state as rich with talent as California.

But Trojans fans are optimistic a lesson might finally have been learned.

Ducks keep cooking
Of course, one school that has no issues recruiting California is Oregon.

The Ducks already have a pledge from the No. 3 recruit in the state in the class of 2026, Mater Dei High School offensive tackle Kodi Greene, along with his fellow Monarch, defensive lineman Tomuhini Topui.

And the Ducks just added another four-star prospect in Ventura standout linebacker Tristan Phillips, who picked the Ducks just minutes before they won the Big Ten championship.

The class-of-2026 prospect chose Oregon over Arizona State, Oklahoma, Utah, Washington and Wisconsin.

With the majority of the heavy lifting complete for 2025, the top uncommitted California prospect, linebacker McKay Madsen, will take his official visit to Eugene this weekend.

His recruitment is essentially an Oregon-Brigham Young battle — he’s a member of the Mormon Church — with UCLA running third.

Madsen is one of the top discus and shot put throwers in the state, and Oregon wants him to compete in track and field as well as football. He’ll serve his LDS mission for the next two years and enroll in 2027.

After signing five-star receiver Gatlin Bair prior to his LDS mission in 2024, the Ducks would love to do it again with Madsen.

Madsen will announce his decision on Jan. 11 at the All-American Bowl in San Antonio.

Late announcements
There have been a lot of comings and goings with Arizona and Utah, but the two Big 12 schools added late commitments last week:

— Defensive lineman Porter Patton, from Austin — he’s the son of former NFL and Texas defensive lineman James Patton — committed to the Wildcats.

— Bryson Baker, a receiver from Fresno, announced his commitment to Utah, although he had signed with the Utes a couple days prior.

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