Pac-12 recruiting: USC in the post-Grinch era, UCLA’s QB commit and big weekends for OSU, UW
The Hotline is delighted to provide Pac-12 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 Nov. 9 …
The Grinch who saved the season
The dismissal of defensive coordinator Alex Grinch has had zero impact on USC’s recruiting.
The Trojans suffered no de-commitments in the wake of the change. In fact, coach Lincoln Riley has added to his commitment list.
On Sunday, in the hours after Grinch’s firing, the Trojans grabbed a pledge from Chatsworth (Calif.) cornerback Madden Riordan, a member of the 2026 recruiting class.
That came a week after fellow 2026 cornerback Brandon Lockhart, a teammate of Riordan’s on the 7-on-7 circuit, committed to the Trojans.
If anything, the coordinator change has helped USC hold recruits, with the questions about Grinch’s job security no longer in the air.
And assistant coach Donte Williams, just as he did two years ago — when he was USC’s interim coach following Clay Helton’s dismissal — has turned chaos into certainty by landing a couple of recruits.
The bigger question is whether the change will impact the Trojans moving forward.
Our hunch: No.
Whether Riley sticks with one of his two interim defensive coordinators, Shaun Nua and Brian Odom, or hires someone from outside the program, the Grinch question no longer permeates. And Riley can move on accordingly.
UCLA finds its 2024 QB
When the Bruins signed blue chip quarterback Dante Moore in the 2023 class, the move certainly impacted their 2024 outlook.
UCLA has offered scholarships to five different passers, but four are committed elsewhere.
Enter Bellaire (Tex.) prospect Karson Gordon.
A one-time commit to UNLV, Gordon maintained a steady communication throughout the fall with UCLA quarterbacks coach Ryan Gunderson and director or player personnel Ethan Young.
Gordon visited UCLA for the Colorado game and, shortly thereafter, de-committed from the Rebels.
On Tuesday night, he announced a commitment to UCLA.
On film, Gordon reminds scouts of former Bruins starter Dorian Thompson-Robinson in that he’s a true dual-threat talent with passing skills to make plays happen.
And with neither Moore, freshman Luke Duncan or recent starter Ethan Garbers being a dual-threat player, Gordon looks like a natural fit for Chip Kelly’s offense.
Washington as host
The Huskies will host Utah on Saturday in their first home game in three weeks and expect several recruits to attend the showdown.
Their list includes some key commitments and a slew of uncommitted targets.
The headliner is Hesperia (Calif.) four-star offensive lineman Paki Finau, who stands as UW’s second-highest rated pledge in the 2024 class.
His 2025 teammate, running back Karson Cox, will be flanking Finau on Montlake this weekend.
Washington will also welcome Cypress (Tex.) defensive lineman Omar Khan, a current 2024 commitment.
And from the 2025 class, the Huskies will have the No. 1 player in Kansas, tackle Andrew Babalola, and the No. 1 prospect in Northern California, El Dorado Hills tight end Kaleb Edwards, in attendance.
Beavers back in Corvallis
Oregon State can’t help but look ahead to next week, when it hosts Washington in what should be a prime-time game on ABC with Kirk Hebstreit and Chris Fowler on the call and the potential for ESPN’s ‘College GameDay’ to broadcast from Corvallis.
But before then, the Beavers welcome Stanford to Reser Stadium and have a chance to impress several recruits.
That includes the top players in the state in the 2025 and 2026 classes.
Last month, West Linn tight end Baron Naone committed to the Beavers.
An Oregon State legacy — his father, Barry, played for OSU — Naone chose the Beavers over Washington.
Meanwhile, Lake Oswego athlete Ansu Sanoe, the No. 1 ranked in-state recruit from the 2026 class, and a member of the Top247 rankings, will be back in Corvallis this weekend.
Sanoe has offers from Georgia, Tennessee, Texas A&M and Oregon, as well as Oregon State.
Yes, he’s a national recruit, but the Beavers have maintained a presence with the four-star from the start.
*** 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.