(Click here for previous recruiting update)

The big commitment of the week so far is USC snaring RB Ty Isaac (Joliet Catholic, Joliet, IL), who is considered by many to be one of the surest things at the next level. At 6'3", 215, Isaac figures to be the type of player to bring the bruising power that's lately been lacking for the Trojans run attack.

The commitment by Isaac won't change things for Justin Davis (RB, Lincoln, Stockton, CA), who plans to make his low-key announcement this Thursday. All signs would point to USC landing him, as the Trojans will visit him the day before the announcement. USC, Cal and Washington are also in consideration.

USC taking both Isaac and Davis would likely give the Trojans the best running back class in the Pac-12. Although Oregon does have Thomas Tyner (perhaps the top overall runner in this class), Isaac gives the Trojans a power option and Davis a feature three down back. That would definitely replenish the coffers on a USC team that is currently very low on running back depth.

USC is all over our latest Pac-12 recruiting update.

Max Redfield (S, Mission Viejo, Mission Viejo, CA) has a top 5 of Notre Dame, USC, LSU, Oregon and Washington.

Tahaan Goodman (S, Rancho Cucamonga, Rancho Cucamonga, CA) wants to play with Priest Willis (S, Marco De Niza, Tempe, AZ) in college. Both will be visiting LSU when they play Alabama. Goodman also is ready to visit Hawaii.

Eddie Vanderdoes (DE, Placer, Auburn, CA) is reportedly planning on an official visit to Penn State.

Elijah Qualls (ATH, Casa Grande, Petaluma, CA) has received an offer from USC. Oregon, Cal and Arizona all visited earlier this week. The Trojans want him at defensive tackle.

Derek Babiash (CB, Poway, Poway, CA) decommitted from Washington; he wasn't 100% quite certain about his commitment.

Demorea Stringfellow (WR, Rancho Verde, Moreno Valley, CA) also got his USC offer.

Sebastian LaRue (ATH, Santa Monica, Santa Monica, CA) could be garnering a Notre Dame offer ($) in the near future.

Charlie Reid (TE, All Saints, Fort Worth, TX) picked up offers from Utah and Oregon State.

Maurice Stewart (DB, Dulles, Sugar Land, TX) managed an offer from Arizona State.

USC commit Kenny Bigelow (DE, Eastern Christian Academy, Elkton, MD) gets some highlight reel tape courtesy of Scout!

Pierre Cormier (RB, Madison, San Diego, CA) could be getting looks from USC and Oregon ($).

Tyler Foreman (CB, Crespi, Encino, CA) received an offer from Colorado.

Christian Morris (OL, Memphis East, Memphis, TN) has UCLA at the top of his list for his top six schools.

Demarcus Ayers (ATH, Lancaster, Lancaster, TX) has an offer from Washington State.

John Lopez (OT, Lutheran, Orange, CA) has high interest from Wisconsin ($), who wants the big offensive lineman to pay a visit to Madison.

Nicholas Halmon (DB, Bamberg-Ehrhardt, Bamberg, SC) got an offer from Arizona.

Stanford coaches were apparently at Timberview in Mansfield, Texas. Only three recruits are available from Mansfield in the Rivals database, with one already committed to Washington State.

Tanner Vallejo (LB, Nevada Union, Grass Valley, CA) received a Washington State offer. Boise State and Arizona are at the top of his list, with Colorado close behind.

Edward Tandy (LB, Tustin, Tustin, CA) got his first offer from Cal.

Darren Carrington (WR, Horizon, San Diego, CA) dreams of an offer from Oregon (and Miami (FL)) ($).

Walter Jones (ATH, Redlands, Redlands, CA) received an offer from Utah.

Jamal Morrow (RB, Heritage, Romoland, CA) landed his first offer from Utah.

Cole Mazza (LS, Liberty, Bakersfield, CA) committed to UCLA. Mazza is considered the top long-snapper in the 2013 recruiting class. Check out the video of his commitment here.

Su'a Cravens (LB/S, Vista Murrieta, Murrieta, CA) has his top 5: USC, UCLA, Nebraska, Michigan and Ohio State. The Trojans are heavy favorites.

Eddie Vanderdoes (DL, Placer, Auburn, CA) will want to take at least one official visit to Oregon and two others to Big Ten country.

Justin Davis (RB, Lincoln, Stockton, CA) is supposedly a strong USC lean.

Joe Mathis (DE, Upland, Upland, CA) has cut down his weight.

Elijah Qualls (ATH, Casa Grande Petaluma, CA) had three Pac-12 schools checking in on him.

Vita Vea (DT, Milpitas, Milpitas, CA) could very well commit to Oregon on the spot if they offered him.

Sebastian LaRue (WR, Santa Monica, Santa Monica, CA) is starting to turn heads all around the country. Michigan came visiting ($).

Demorea Stringfellow (WR, Rancho Verde, Moreno Valley, CA) has gotten an offer from Cal.

Darrell Daniels (ATH, Freedom, Oakley, CA) received his USC offer.

Steven Mitchell (WR, Bishop Alemany, Mission Hills, CA) got an offer from Oregon State.

Michael Hutchings (LB, De La Salle, Concord, CA) has another Pac-12 offer plus a host of others.

Aaron Cochran (OL, Buhach Colony, Atwater, CA) is waiting for that Wisconsin offer ($). Is he close to getting it?

Darius Allensworth (DB, Heritage, Menifee, CA) discusses the status of his Arizona commitment ($).

DaVonte Young (RB, St. John Bosco, Bellflower, CA) is leaving his current school.

Tahaan Goodman (DB, Rancho Cucamonga, Rancho Cucamonga, CA) is adjusting to life as a top target after receiving 25 offers in 2012 ($). LSU and Hawaii are places he definitely wants to hit up.

Nico Falah (OL, St. John Bosco, Bellflower, CA) was invited to the US Army All-American game.

L.J. Moore (DB, Central East, Fresno, CA) has Oregon among his favorites.

Beau Sandland (TE, Pierce C.C., Woodland Hills, CA) landed a Cal offer.

Gunnar Graham (OL, Marin Catholic, Kentfield, CA) got a Colorado offer ($).

Jack Austin (WR, Chino Hills, Chino Hills, CA) received his first Pac-12 offer.

Recruiting experts and fans spend hours upon hours debating which schools pulled in the best recruiting class each year after national signing day, but very rarely do we go back and take a look at how these classes stacked up against each other once the signees have gotten a chance to show what they can do in college. Since the major recruiting services have started tracking the top classes online since 2002, a number of Pac-10/12 schools have pulled in classes worthy of the Top 10, with USC even pulling in the nation's most highly rated class more than once.

With 2002 a ways in the rear view mirror, it is now easy to go back and look at each class signed by every conference school for the last ten years and fully gauge how big of an impact each made for their program. After taking a look at each class signed by a Pac-10/12 school since 2002 I put together a Top 10 ranking of which classes end up featuring the best collection of players who pledged their signature to the same school on national signing day in a given year.

I was hesitant to put together this list at first, worried that it would simply be a ranking of the Top 10 classes that USC has signed since 2002, but when compiling my rankings, I was thoroughly impressed with some of the classes put together by other schools in the conference.

*Note - Obviously this list is going to favor classes less recent classes as recent classes haven't had the chance to fully establish themselves. I also decided to consider class from Utah and Colorado dating back to 2002 as opposed to only considering those that played in the Pac-10.

1. USC Class of 2003

Top Players - Reggie Bush, Ryan Kalil, Lawrence Jackson, LenDale White, Sedrick Ellis, Sam Baker, Steve Smith, John David Booty

Five first team All-American's, four first round draft picks, three second round draft picks and a Heisman, this might be the most impressive class in the history of the conference. Accurately rated by Scout as the top class in the nation for the year, it didn't take long for these guys to establish themselves and become a big part of why USC was so dominate for the next five to six years. Bush is the superstar of the class, but an offensive line of Baker and Kalil is incredibly impressive along with a defensive line that includes Jackson and Ellis - both first round picks.

Continue reading this post »

There is a perpetual debate among college football fans who follow recruiting as to whether or not recruiting rankings really matter that much. Most detractors will regularly point to the plethora of players drafted each year that were completely unknown and unheralded recruits coming out of high school.

Though the vast majority of draft picks and all-conference players are highly recruited athletes coming out of high school, there always seems to be a number of players each season who somehow slipped through the cracks of hype. While the majority of these types of players usually end up signing at non-BCS conference schools, the Pac-12 has produced a good number of sleeper type players who were two or one-star recruits coming out of high school since the advent of online recruiting rankings.

With the NFL Draft having just wrapped up, it is an interesting time to take a look at the Top 10 recruiting sleepers to sign with and play on Pac-12 schools since 2002 since some have gone onto successful NFL careers after great careers in the Pac-12.

*Obviously players who have signed in the last few years will have a harder time making the list since they have had less time to succeed and only players who have been signed in the last two classes by Utah and Colorado were considered since they were not in the conference beforehand. Also, walk on players were not considered since they were not actually recruited by schools.

1. J.J. Arrington - RB - Class of 2003 - Rocky Mount, NC - College of the Canyons (Santa Clarita, CA) - Cal

Cal scored big when they snagged Arrington out of College of the Canyons, where he had been placed by East Carolina in hopes that the tough running back would return after completing his JC degree. After a controversial recruiting battle between Cal and Oregon where Ducks running back coach Gary Campbell was involved with the forging of Arrington's father's signature (How he kept his job after this is confounding), Cal got Arrington for two years and he made them count. After a solid junior season, Arrington put together one of the best seasons any running back has ever had in college football, racking up more than 2,000 yards and 15 touchdowns. A second round draft pick by the Cardinals, Arrington failed to ever really make an impact in the NFL after bouncing around with a few teams.

Continue reading this post »

Check out yesterday's Pac-12 recruiting update.

Eddie Vanderdoes (DE, Placer, Placer, CA) is getting interest as a two-sport player, particularly from USC or UCLA. He'll be visiting Cal this weekend.

Nico Falah (OT, St. John Bosco, Bellflower, CA) will be visiting Cal, and is receiving a lot of interest from USC.

Darrell Daniels (ATH, Freedom, Oakley, CA) got offered by Arizona State, and heard from Washington.

Sean Dowling (OT, Fallbrook, Fallbrook, CA) got an Arizona State offer, and USC is also taking a look at him.

Erik Bunte (OT, Santa Margarita Catholic, Rancho Santa Margarita, CA) won't be taking a visit to Notre Dame.

Jermaine Kelly (ATH, Bishop Mora Salesian, Los Angeles, CA) has three programs that are really interested in him: Arizona, ASU, and UCLA.

Joe Mathis (DE, Upland, Upland, CA) will be visiting Cal, but seems to be interested in leaving the Pac-12.

Dashon Hunt (CB, Westlake, Westlake Village, CA) remains committed to UCLA, but has received offers from Oregon State and Colorado.

Michael Hutchings (LB, De La Salle, Concord, CA) speaks highly of two Pac-12 schools, and seems to be leaning toward staying in-state.

Scott Pagano (DT, Moanalua, Honolulu, HI) is waiting on his decision ($).

Ryan Jenkins (WR, Lassiter, Marietta, GA) received a UCLA offer.

Brayden Kearsley (OT, Aloha, Aloha, OR) has committed to BYU, but Pac-12 schools are offering, including Colorado.

Connor O'Brien (S, Santa Margarita Catholic, Rancho Santa Margarita, CA) got a visit from Washington.

Charlie Reid (TE, All Saints Episcopal, Fort Worth, TX) is coming to a decision, and UCLA is in the mix along with TCU, Ole Miss, Oklahoma and Baylor.

Dane Crane (C, Santa Margarita Catholic, Rancho Santa Margarita, CA) got an offer to Arizona right after a Florida State offer. Two more Pac-12 schools could be taking a look.

Lavon Coleman (RB, Lompoc, Lompoc, CA) has a top 3, and was mightily impressed by Washington ($).

Jake Roh (ATH, Chaparral, Scottsdale, AZ) plans to take visits to Pac-12 schools ($).

Jordan Villamin (WR, Etiwanda, Etiwanda, CA) has a Pac-12 offer and should be visiting Washington State this summer.

Jermel Walker (WR, Rancho Cucamonga, Rancho Cucamonga, CA) has interest from both Oregon State and Washington State.

Tedric Thompson (S, Valencia, Valencia, CA) holds a Colorado offer, but is also hearing from Arizona State and UCLA.

Keishawn Bierria (OLB, Narbonne, Harbor City, CA) has interest from two Pac-12 schools, both in the same state.

Patrick Joseph (OG, Hamilton, Chandler, AZ) got an Arizona State offer ($).

Sean Barton (DB, Woods Cross, Woods Cross, UT) got another Pac-12 offer, plus Boise State came calling.

J.D. Hinnant (OT, Fountain Valley, Fountain Valley, CA) received an offer from the Huskies. So did Qualen Cunningham (2014 DE, Hamilton, Chandler, AZ) and Casey Tucker (2014 OT, Hamilton, Chandler, AZ).

Jeffrey Farrar (2014 WR, Bishop Alemany, Mission Hills, CA) has at least three Pac-12 schools on him early.

Malik McDowell (2014 DE, Loyola, Detroit, MI) just received an Oregon offer and USC might be looking.

Jalen Brown (2014 WR, Mountain Pointe, Phoenix, AZ) prefers offense, and does have offers already from Arizona and ASU.

The Oregon Ducks have again put their names in the headlines, and you have to figure this will end up costing them big time (or sometime, I dunno). The Pac-12 is already suffering from an image problem, and shocking revelations like college football players toking it could unravel the crucial moral fabric that binds the sport together.

It gets you wondering about some of the other somewhat benign scandals that have been brewing in the sport as of late that could engulf the conference in flames. For example,

40 to 60 percent of USC players have been known to cavort with millionaire Hollywood celebrities grads on a regular basis.

40 to 60 percent of Cal players want to revolt against their administrative (possibly athletic) oppressors, or at the very least pitch a tent and sing-along.

40 to 60 percent of Utah players are reported to be interested in perhaps marrying multiple women somewhere down the road.

40 to 60 percent of Stanford players go to all their classes.

40 to 60 percent of Washington State players scoff at the isolation that 40 to 60 percent of Oregon players feel in Eugene.

So much can go wrong. Larry Scott won't be able to sleep at night if any of this gets out.

Commitments

Sefo Liufau (QB, Bellarmine Prep, Tacoma, WA) commits to Colorado.

Kylie Fitts (DE, East Valley, Redlands, CA) committed to USC and plans to graduate from high school and enroll early.

Darius Allensworth (WR/CB, Heritage, Romoland, CA) committed to Arizona and currently plans to play defense.

Decisions

Su'a Cravens (DB, Vista Murrieta, Murrieta, CA) will decide on his college on June 6th. USC is considered the prohibitive favorite. Check out our early scouting report on Cravens.

Offers and visits and tidbits

Kevin Palma (LB/TE, Mission Oak, Tulare, CA) was offered by Oregon State, his first Pac-12 offer and second overall (Nevada). Palma does have three Pac-12 favorites, all in California.

Uaea Masina (OLB, Brighton, Salt Lake CIty, UT) made an unofficial to a Pac-12 school, which is his current favorite (they haven't offered yet).

Johnny Johnson (DB, Central, Fresno, CA) visited USC and UCLA this past weekend ($).

Daquawn Brown (DB, Dorsey, Los Angeles, CA) and Jayme Otomewo (DB, Dorsey, Los Angeles, CA) both received offers from Arizona State and will be attending a UCLA practice this Saturday. Brown already has a favorite ($).

J.D. Hinnant (OT, Fountain Valley, Fountain Valley, CA) received offers from three Pac-12 schools and Duke, all of which surprised him. One of those offers ($) stands out among them all.

Cameron Walker (DB, Loyola, Los Angeles, CA) has an offer from Utah.

Kenneth Clark (DT, Wilmer Carter, Rialto, CA) likes UCLA and Washington, but if USC handed out that coveted offer, he might change his tune.

Michael Hutchings (LB, De La Salle, Concord, CA) has been contacted recently in-person or on the phone by three Pac-12 schools.

John Lopez (OL, Lutheran, Orange, CA) now has compiled six Pac-12 offers.

Sean Barton (DB, Woods Cross, Woods Cross, UT) received offers from ASU and Washington.

Chris Borrayo (OL, Paramount, Paramount, CA) got two offers, one from Washington, another from Washington State.

Elijah Qualls (ATH, Casa Grande, Petaluma, CA) has a final list of eight ($), which should have a host of Pac-12 schools.

Max Redfield (DB, Mission Viejo, Mission Viejo, CA) has a top 5 ($). Just a guess, but it's likely that three Pac-12 schools are featured.

John Ross (WR, Jordan, Long Beach, CA) also got offered by the Beavers. He checked in on UCLA a few days ago and has three Pac-12 schools hard on him.

Qualen Cunningham (2014 DE, Hamilton, Chandler, AZ) received an offer from Arizona, along with another from Texas Tech.

When talking about busts, most people think of the NFL and NBA Drafts. However, with the increase in coverage in college football recruiting in the last ten years or so, athletes coming out of high school have become much more hyped up, making the idea of a college player who doesn't live up to expectations being thought of as a bust a reality.

Whether it be injuries, off the field issues or just plain not being as talented a player as they were thought to be coming out of high school, some highly regarded recruits are just bound to not live up to expectations. Fortunately, I actually think that the lack of hype for West Coast recruits in national media has reduced the amount of busts that we see out West. That isn't to say that the West Coast doesn't have their fair share and it wasn't that tough to come up with the Top 10 biggest busts in Pac-12 history.

*I want to note that this simply relates to how much the player produced for the school they signed with out of high school in comparison to how highly regarded they were coming out of high school. So if a player transfers from a school it goes a long way to qualifying them as a bust regardless of what they do at their second school. Also, obviously there are going to be less recent players on the list since most guys in the last few classes haven't had the chance to fully realize their career in a good or bad way.

1. Lache Seastrunk - Class of 2010 - RB - Temple, TX - Oregon

-Seastrunk never played a down at Oregon but he may end up making more of an impact at Oregon than any other Duck player in the last 10 years. Seastrunk's signing with Oregon raised some serious eyebrows among recruiting fans, (particularly those in Texas) who wondered how the school from the Northwest was able to pluck one of the top running backs in the country out from under their noses. The Ducks had done well recruiting in Texas, but unfortunately for the Ducks, it appears Chip Kelly got greedy and went too far in the way he was recruiting athletes in the Lone Star State, particularly Seastrunk and it should cost them.

2. Whitney Lewis - Class of 2003 - WR - Ventura, CA - St. Bonaventure - USC

-Lewis was actually #7 on my list of Top 10 Pac-10 Recruits, which really shows just how disappointing Lewis' brief career was. A physical specimen (6'1 210 4.3 40), he seemed almost too good to be true, and maybe he was. Despite being one of the highest rated players in the Class of 2003 at any position, Lewis failed to make an impact at USC in two seasons and ended up transferring to Northern Iowa.

3. Randy Estes - Class of 2004 - S - Los Alamitos, CA - Washington State

-Estes is a very sad, strange and possibly unfinished story. Estes was arguably the top player on the West Coast heading into his senior season as a athletic, play-making safety but had severe off the field problems and was dismissed from school during his senior season. The popular rumor was that Estes was a drug dealer and nearly every school immediately backed off as it was also obvious that he had pretty much no chance of qualifying anywhere. Washington State ended up earning his signature, but to no surprise, he didn't qualify. I have seen a couple of forum posts discussing what became of Estes, but nothing concrete has ever really emerged about the talented safety.

4. Jeff Schweiger Jr. - Class of 2004 - DE - San Jose, CA - Valley Christian - USC

-Schweiger was seen as the perfect defensive end coming out of San Jose, big and strong enough to defend the run but also fast enough to be a terror to Pac-10 quarterbacks as he racked up 18 sacks his senior season. Schweiger looked like he was going to live up to expectations early in his career, flashing potential in spot time but surprisingly didn't progress into a starter and finished his career at San Jose State.

5. Dillon Baxter - Class of 2010 - RB - San Diego, CA - Mission Bay - USC

-A playmaking back with excellent moves and balance, Baxter was touted as the next Reggie Bush and superstar running back when he signed with USC. He looked every bit the part when a jawdropping run he pulled in spring practice in 2010 became an internet hit, but that would pretty much be the last time Baxter's name would be associated with anything positive. Baxter struggled with grades and transferred from USC to San Diego State just months ago and has already been dismissed from SDSU.

6. Kyle Prater - Class of 2010 - WR - Hillside, IL - Proviso West - USC

-The Trojans have pulled in a lot of tall, very highly rated receivers from outside of the West Coast in recent history and ever since Dwayne Jarrett, none have really seemed to live up to expectations. None have failed to fulfill their supposed potential more than Prater who has already left USC. A big guy with a lot of tools, Prater has a great opportunity to live up to his high school ratings as he continues his career at Northwestern.

7. Matt Tuiasosopo - Class of 2004 - QB - Woodinville, WA - Washington

-The younger brother of Husky legend Marques Tuiasosopo was heralded as being better than Marques and as the savior who would turn around the struggling Huskies when he signed in 2004. In just one of many bad breaks Washington would receive in the decade, the Mariners reached in the MLB Draft to draft Tuisasosopo and offered him a large amount of money that he simply couldn't turn down. The Huskies would go on to have quarterback issues for the next four or so years and struggle mightily while Tuisasosopo failed to make an impact in professional baseball.

8. Antwine Perez - Class of 2006 - S - Camden, NJ - Wilson - USC

-The Trojans were able to get the hard hitting safety from New Jersey to head all the way out to LA and despite enrolling early for spring practice, Perez only spent a year at USC before transferring to Maryland. Despite failing to make an impact at USC, Perez was much more comfortable on the East Coast and ended up having a good career at Maryland.

9. Josh Tatum - Class of 2006 - LB - Oakland, CA - McClymonds - USC

-Touted as a fantastic all around linebacker, Tatum battled injuries in high school and struggled with injuries almost as soon as he showed up on campus. After a redshirt season where he attempted to get healthy, Tatum moved onto Missouri where he finished his career.

10. Vidal Hazelton - Class of 2006 - WR - Chatham, VA - Hargrave Military Academy - USC

-The Class of 2006 clearly didn't pan out the way USC thought it would. Hazelton was solid early in his career and was even the Trojans' leading wide receiver in 2007, which is actually more of a testament to how poorly the receivers performed for USC that season. Hazelton then battled injury problems in 2008 and ended up transferring to Cincinnati due to personal reasons.

Honorable Mention: Kavario Middleton (2008 TE Lakewood, WA Washington) Aaron Corp (2007 QB Orange, CA USC) Curtis White (2010 DE Eugene, OR Oregon) Hershel Dennis (2002 RB Long Beach, CA USC) Cameron Colvin (2004 WR Concord, CA Oregon)