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Pac-12 Spotlight: Checking in on 2017's five-stars

Jaelan Phillips
Jaelan Phillips (AP)

Only five five-star prospects signed with Pac-12 schools last recruiting class – three at Stanford and two at UCLA. USC won the conference recruiting title and Oregon finished second overall, but neither program landed a five-star recruit. Here is a look at how those five-stars have performed so far this season.

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Holmes had a rough game when left on an island in UCLA's loss to Memphis, but he's played great otherwise. His pick-six against Hawaii was a season highlight and he was outstanding in camp as well. Like Phillips, he's displayed enough through the early parts of the season to show he might be a future high NFL Draft pick one day. At the Army All-American Bowl, Holmes picked UCLA over USC, Ohio State and Nebraska. His family has had a long relationship with Bruins defensive backs coach Demetrice Martin.

Little is off to a fantastic start to his career at Stanford. He started against San Diego State but didn’t take 100 percent control of left tackle until the following week versus UCLA. In the past two games he has given the quarterback a lot of confidence that his backside is covered. As offensive coordinator Mike Bloomgren has said, a lot of this game comes very naturally to Little, who selected Stanford over Texas in December of his senior season.

Mills arrived at Stanford still recovering from a knee injury. He was limited throughout training camp and into the season. He reportedly is coming along well on the mental side of the game and seems to be 100 percent healthy now. Later in the season, and after more Friday scrimmages with the younger players, it will be interesting to know how far he has progressed. In the spring before his senior season, Mills picked Stanford over Michigan, Georgia, Alabama, Oregon and others.

Phillips had all the makings of a star prior to injuring his ankle against Memphis. He's a powerful pass rusher with the complete arsenal to become a future first-round edge guy. The rumored diagnosis of Phillips' injury is a high-ankle sprain, which means he should be back within the next few weeks. But if his play through three games prior to the injury is any indication, he should be a great one for UCLA. As for his recruitment, Phillips picked the Bruins over Stanford. USC, Notre Dame and Washington rounded out his top five.

Sarell is blocked somewhat by a veteran right tackle, A.T. Hall, who has been playing well. The five-star prospect isn’t quite as advanced a pass protector as Little and is getting snaps as an extra lineman. Both Sarell and Little have really impressed the coaches with their ability to learn the system and understand the game. Stanford was always considered a frontrunner in his recruitment and he picked the Cardinal over Washington, USC, Notre Dame and Nebraska at the Army All-American Game.

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