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Pac-12 weekly recruiting wrap-up: Stanford finishing strong and Wazzu trying to hang on to their class

The arrow was pointing down for Stanford in recruiting, but they have rebounded in a big way over the last month. Washington State was putting together a surprisingly solid class, but it could all fall apart in the next few days

Bob Stanton-USA TODAY Sports

There is so much about college football that is fluid. Rosters constantly shift because of graduation, transfers, and injuries. Coaching staffs are in constant flux and it's rare that a player who attends a school for four years would have all of the same coaches there in his last season that he had when he first arrived on campus as a freshman.

But there really isn't anything that changes more often, and quickly, than recruiting.

A solid commitment one day can turn into a visit to a rival school's campus the next week. A player who has been told he is the future at a position for a football program may end up having his scholarship dropped later in the process. Nothing is officially solid about anything in recruiting until signing day.

Stanford's class had been especially unstable for a long time in this cycle and at one point their recruiting efforts seemed to mirror their disappointing season on the field. But like I said, recruiting can change so quickly and the momentum for Stanford has shifted drastically over the last month or so for the Cardinal.

During that time they have added highly touted recruits like wide receiver Trent Irwin, running back Bryce Love, and defensive back Frank Buncom IV as well as several other solid prospects. They went from near the cellar of the Pac-12 recruiting rankings to just below the top tier with a chance to climb even higher. They have a really good shot at adding a cornerback with an extremely high upside in Quenton Meeks and another big time safety recruit in Justin Reid.

All of this is in addition to the rest of the class they have put together that fit perfectly into the schemes they run on offense and defense as well as enhancing the tough, physical mentality they have established as the backbone of their program. That last part isn't going to be reflected in the rankings, but is so important for who they are and who they want to continue to be.

A month ago the narrative regarding Stanford's recruiting class was who wasn't going to be in it. Now that has changed to who is in it and who may still become a part of it.

- This is going to be a brutal next couple of days for the Washington State coaching staff. They are going to have grind to the last minute to try and hold on to a good recruiting class they have built up to this point with linebacker Jonah Moi (Oregon), and receivers Deontay Burnett (Michigan) and Dahu Green (Oklahoma) all taking official visits to other schools this past weekend. All three of those players have been predicted to not sign with Wazzu and Mike Leach and company have a couple of days to try and ensure those predictions don't come true.

They already dodged one bullet this weekend when it was reported that Burnett had flipped to Jim Harbaugh and Michigan, which he later refuted. The door is still open though and that's a scary thought. Coug fans are hoping that they can shut it before signing day and keep together the players they worked so hard to recruit.

- UCLA has the chance to have an amazing finish on signing day with elite players like tight end Chris Clark, running back Soso Jamabo, and linebacker Roquan Smith all considering signing with the Bruins and they got a nice head start on that finish when 4 star cornerback Dechaun Holiday committed late last night.

He is the type of big corner most defensive coordinators dream about having at their disposal and has phenomenal ball skills.

- Gary Andersen has been steadily adding recruits to rebuild the Beavers recruiting class, but he landed his biggest one this weekend when linebacker Christian Folau committed. Folau would have likely ended up at Wisconsin had Andersen stayed there and is one top inside linebackers in the west for the 2015 class.

Andersen also flipped a former Wisconsin commitment in defensive tackle Elu Aydon. Aydon is a raw prospect, but has the physical tools to develop into outstanding nose tackle for the Beavers.

- Cal has swung and missed when trying to get commitments from higher rated prospects, but finally landed one when 4 star wide receiver Carlos Strickland committed to the Bears last week. He could end up being a number one receiver in Sonny Dykes' Bear Raid and should be able to see some playing time early in his career.