Pac-12 Football Recruiting Power Rankings, July 15

We’re counting down the rankings of the recruiting classes in the Pac-12 for the class of 2021, every week, with this week’s installment that sees Oregon take over the top spot for the first time this year.

1. Oregon Ducks —258.45 points

Previous Ranking — No. 2 (237.79 points)

It looks like the Ducks have finally pulled away for good from the rest of the pack. Not only are they No. 1 in the Pac-12, they’ve climbed to No. 5 overall and are averaging 91.87 recruiting points per recruit, which ranks only behind LSU, Ohio State and North Carolina. They pulled in the conference’s second five-star recruit in WR Troy Franklin, and since our last check-in, have seen commitments from 4-star WR Isaiah Brevard, 4-star DE Keanu Williams and 4-star TE Terrance Ferguson. They’re building something special in Eugene thanks to coach Mario Cristobal.

2. USC Trojans — 249.71

Previous Ranking — No. 1 (244.82)

They haven’t not done anything but they haven’t done enough of anything to keep the Ducks at bay. Coach Clay Helton secured the services of 4-star athlete Jaylin Smith since our last rankings but that’s about it. They’re still awaiting on top recruit Korey Foreman’s decision as they’re absolutely still the favorites to land the local talent, and if they do, that’s about the only way they’ll catch Oregon.

3. Washington Huskies — 184.23

Previous Ranking — No. 3 (146.70)

Washington put an emphatic mark on the third-place spot here with the commitments of 4-star WR Jabez Tinae, 3-star RB Caleb Berry and 3-star DT Siaosi Finau since our last post. Tinae is the state of Washington’s seventh-best player overall while Berry is a top-125 player from the state of Texas. This is rounding into form for the Huskies and they’ve all but secured the third spot for this class even through just 13 commitments.

4. UCLA Bruins — 161.38

Previous Ranking — No. 4 (142.89)

Chip Kelly’s hot streak has rolled into July and they’re here to stay above Cal, or so it seems. Three-star WR Keontez Lewis pledged his services all the way from Illinois and that was enough to keep them above the Golden Bears who lurk behind them.

5. California Golden Bears — 148.56

Previous Ranking — No. 5 (131.64)

Cal almost creeped back into the top four here after they saw their highest-rated recruit to date commit on the Fourth of July. J. Michael Sturdivant pledged his services to Cal all the way from Flower Mound, Texas and powerhouse Marcus High School. He’s the 30th-best player in the state of Texas and the nation’s 184th-best player overall. That’s high praise and a big get for the Bears as they stay in the thick of things for a top-half class.

6. Arizona Wildcats — 142.04

Previous Ranking — No. 6 (113.35)

I’ll admit I was worried about this class at one point, but not at all anymore. Kevin Sumlin has built a 14-commit class so far and now have a bevy of future talented players across the board. The most recent was 3-star RB Montrell Johnson from New Orleans as well as 3-star ILB DJ Fryar from Washington. Three-star athlete Logan Kraut capped their July haul to date from the state of California and that now gives Sumlin five recruits from the state. In total, Sumlin has commitments from five different states including four different Texas powerhouses.

7. Washington State Cougars — 130.40

Previous Ranking — No. 7 (100.11)

Worry not about Nick Rolovich in his first year at the helm of the Cougars as they have now 12 commitments for the 2021 class. Most recently, they picked up their highest-rated recruit yet, 3-star safety Jaden Hicks from powerhouse Bishop Gorman in Las Vegas. They also secured the services of Jayhvion GIpson, a 3-star OLB from the state of Texas. All 12 commitments have come since May 1 or later as Rolovich is firmly rolling along.

8. Arizona State Sun Devils — 108.12

Previous Ranking — No. 8 (87.65)

The Sun Devils rounded out June in fine form but have not grabbed any new commitments through the first half of July. To cap June, however, it kept them at No. 8 overall with the commitments from 3-star OT Charles Armstrong and 3-star OT Isaiah World, each who are top recruits in their respective states of California and Florida.

9. Utah Utes — 97.57

Previous Ranking — No. 10 (67.22)

Since our last look, the Utes have now secured the services of 3-star WR Deamikkio Nathan from Texas and 3-star RB Ricky Parks from Florida. Pulling talented players from those states is not easy, so it’s understandable why the resources haven’t gone elsewhere in this class of just currently seven commitments. More talented players like that will certainly put the Utes on the rise.

10. Oregon State Beavers — 97.26

Previous Ranking — No. 9 (85.58)

The Beavers got a big-time commitment from 3-star TE J.T. Byrne, literally, as he stands 6-foot-6 tall. It was a quiet month of June, save for the nation’s seventh-ranked all-purpose back committing to the Beavers, and more commitments like that in the months of July and August could see them get back into the thick of it for a top-half class.

11. Colorado Buffaloes — 71.13

Previous Ranking — No. 12 (54.94)

Well don’t look now, but head coach Karl Dorrell has put the pressure on the rest of the coaches in the conference by securing the services of three recruits since our last look. Three-star guard Jackson Anderson from Texas, three-star TE Erik Olsen from Colorado and JUCO-transfer in Trustin Oliver, a 6-foot-4 safety, have pushed the Buffs from the bottom of the barrel here. More like that and they could even challenge to finally crack the top 10!

12. Stanford Cardinal — 67.06

Previous Ranking — No. 11 (67.06)

While I said I wasn’t worried about this class and the fact that David Shaw doesn’t allow early enrollees, I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t starting to let worry creep in. Stanford hasn’t received a commitment since May 28, their fourth commitment overall, and though they made the top three for highly-touted guard Owen Prentice, it seems unlikely they’ll secure many more through this recruiting dead period. Shaw has his work cut out for him to get back on the recruiting trails or adapt quickly to the new coronavirus-pandemic strain on recruiting.