Huffman – Pac-12 recruiting update: ASU adds a linebacker, Cal goes ‘jumbo’ and USC raids Texas

By Brandon Huffman 247Sports 

It was a relatively quiet week for the Pac-12 in terms of major recruiting commitments. However, there were still a handful of developments.

*** On Monday, Arizona State got some needed good news on the commitment front in the form of a prospect in the Pac-12 footprint. The last one from the region was RL Miller, a three-star linebacker from San Francisco who pledged to the Sun Devils in late June.

To this point, three of their five commitments had been from Texas, and there was one each from Southern and Northern California.

Now, the Sun Devils have added a sixth to the mix: three-star linebacker Xe’ree Alexander from Kennedy Catholic outside of Seattle, the school that produced current Washington quarterback Sam Huard.

Interestingly enough, there’s a tie between Alexander and the Sun Devils. His older brother, Junior, signed with ASU as a receiver in the 2021 class. He played his freshman season in Tempe, then transferred to his hometown school, Washington, where he was reunited with Huard.

Alexander is a top-20 player in the state of Washington and was the linebacker MVP at the ESPN 300 Underclassmen Elite Camp in Oakland this spring.

He has been overshadowed at a high school known for its offense but is a nice pickup to pair with Miller, another long, athletic linebacker.

*** Our second Pac-12 commitment to report is a big one, literally: jumbo-athlete Ryan McCulloch out of Arcadia, California.

McCulloch is 235 pounds and can play tight end, fullback, tailback, even defense — he has done a little of everything at Rio Hondo Prep.

He visited Washington State in early June, and the Cougars looked like they would be in a really good position to land him. His top four included Washington State and had Colorado and Cal, as well as Boise State.

McCulloch ultimately chose Cal and is a quality addition for the Bears, who had been in the final group for a number of California kids, only to see them head out of state.

They could use McCullough offensively or defensively, He’s just the kind of jumbo, versatile athlete you want to get on campus.

*** USC continues to recruit nationally, as coach Lincoln Riley went into Texas to grab four-star edge rusher Braylan Shelby.

He’s a top-30 player in the Lone Star State and a top-20 player nationally at his position. He also runs track — he’s a triple-jumper — but will focus on football at USC.

Shelby visited USC in mid-June and Texas at the end of June. Trojans assistant Roy Manning, who had recruited Shelby since he was the outside linebackers coach at Oklahoma, was able to secure the commitment over the in-state school. So Riley beats Steve Sarkisian.

*** Lastly, the big commitment coming at the end of this week is linebacker Jerry Mixon from Sacred Heart Cathedral Prep in San Francisco. He’s teammates with RL Miller, the ASU commit, and a cousin of Cincinnati Bengals running back Joe Mixon.

Mixon’s final five are Oregon, UCLA, Arizona, ASU and Missouri, but this has looked like an Oregon-UCLA battle for a long time.

The 247Sports crystal ball is pointed to Oregon.

Mixon took an unofficial visit to Eugene in late July, and the Ducks look like they’re in position to land the rising three-star linebacker.

Support the Hotline: Receive three months of unlimited access for just 99 cents. Yep, that’s 99 cents for 90 days, with the option to cancel anytime. Details are here, and thanks for your support.

*** Send suggestions, comments and tips (confidentiality guaranteed) to pac12hotline@bayareanewsgroup.com or call 408-920-5716

*** Follow Huffman on Twitter via @BrandonHuffman and support @AveryStrongDIPG

*** Follow me on Twitter: @WilnerHotline

*** Pac-12 Hotline is not endorsed or sponsored by the Pac-12 Conference, and the views expressed herein do not necessarily reflect the views of the Conference.