Pac-12 Spotlight: The must-have 2019 prospects for each program

In the Pac-12, a lot of top prospects are still on the board as only one of the top 50 players in the state of California is committed. Here’s a look at which “must-get” recruits are needed for each school in the conference.

MEET THE 2019 CLASS: PQB | DQB | APB | RB | WR | TE | OL | SDE | DT | WDE

New cornerbacks coach Demetrice Martin has a longstanding relationship with Wright and that could be important as the Wildcats pursue the the four-star cornerback. Martin had been recruiting the Valencia standout since his days at UCLA and the two have continued to talk in the last few months. Wright said Arizona is among four schools recruiting him the hardest at this point but Alabama just offered and he seems in the early stages.

Quarterback has been a position that the Sun Devils haven’t quite figured out recently and Conover could be an answer. The talented local prospect had an excellent junior day visit recently where he hit it off with the new coaching staff and their vision for the offense. He’s the top uncommitted quarterback in the state and it’s crucial for Arizona State to keep more local recruits playing at home.

Northern California is loaded with top talent this recruiting cycle and the Golden Bears have to capitalize on landing some outstanding local players. One of them is the four-star defensive tackle, who recently had an excellent visit to Berkeley and landed an offer from the Golden Bears. He also had an extensive talk with the coaches about how he’d be used in the defense. Loading up with top linemen is crucial for the Golden Bears and Bandes is a local standout that the Cal coaching staff has made a priority.

Max McCaffrey never listed a Colorado offer. Christian McCaffrey went to Stanford and was a superstar. Dylan McCaffrey is finding his way at Michigan. That’s 0-for-McCaffrey for Colorado even though all of them played at Highlands Ranch (Colo.) Valor Christian. That’s why landing Luke McCaffrey could be so important because he’s a talented prospect and the Buffaloes didn’t have luck with the rest of the brothers. The Buffaloes did a great job landing quarterback Ty Evans, the top player in the state for 2019, and getting McCaffrey in the fold would be huge for this recruiting class.

Steele showed up to the Rivals Camp Series presented by adidas event on Sunday wearing an Oregon Ducks headband. He talks highly of his relationship with that coaching staff and the Ducks are definitely a top contender. There is going to be a lot of competition for the five-star cornerback, who has been excellent this offseason and he can basically go wherever he wants, but Oregon should be a player until the end. With Steele’s ability, one side of the field can be locked down and the Ducks’ defense would add a huge piece to the secondary. Steele is that good, that physical and that determined to be special for years to come.

Bachmeier has put up huge numbers through three seasons of high school ball and has been a top target for the Beavers. The four-star quarterback has not visited Corvallis yet, but he’s working on scheduling a trip and it could be important. That way he can spend more time with new coach Jonathan Smith and talk more with offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach Brian Lindgren, who had previously been recruiting Bachmeier to Colorado. Cal, Boise State, Minnesota and others remain in contention as well.

Miller is the top target by a comfortable margin. The four-star offensive tackle is a high academic kid and is in line to be the valedictorian at Buford in his senior year. Stanford has made him a top target and the interest is definitely both ways. The Cardinal need to make the offensive line a major focus this recruiting cycle after not doing well in 2018 and Miller would be an excellent addition.

The Bruins are in serious need of offensive line help and Rhyan is one of the best in the region. USC and Washington have been in contact the most but UCLA should make him a priority soon and when coach Chip Kelly starts flexing his recruiting muscle in Southern California, Rhyan should be a top target. He definitely looked the part at the Army National Combine and it still seems early in his recruiting process.

Five-star defensive end Kayvon Thibodeaux is currently the top prospect in the state of California but arguably McCoy is an even bigger target because the Trojans have done so well at Santa Ana (Calif.) Mater Dei and McCoy’s versatility is special. The five-star athlete is a fantastic receiver and can easily switch over and play linebacker/edge rusher as well. With Mater Dei teammates JT Daniels and Amon-Ra St. Brown signing in the last recruiting class, McCoy could be next.

Ika goes to one of the powerhouse programs in Salt Lake City East and he’s emerged as the top prospect in the state, so it’s important for the Utes to lock him up. It will be a challenge. Alabama, USC, Oregon, Washington and other powerhouses are pursuing Ika and some of those programs have had recent success landing top talent in Utah. The former BYU commit has to be a priority because he’s a dominant defensive lineman who could open up the Salt Lake City East pipeline to the Utes.

Washington and Oklahoma have been the two schools Criddell has mentioned most often early in his recruitment and he likes a whole lot about the Huskies. The four-star cornerback likes the staff in Seattle, loves the culture and it could be the team. Other visits are being planned, including one to Georgia. Landing Criddell could be huge because he’s a close friend and teammate of four-star RB Sean Dollars and that might mean Washington wins out for both standout players.

The Cougars can handle their business on offense. That has never been a problem under coach Mike Leach as Washington State piles up points with players who fit Leach’s system. Focusing up front on defense is going to be a major priority and Sims is an excellent start. The three-star from Goodyear (Ariz.) Desert Edge had 51 tackles (16.5 for loss) in his junior season and Washington State is definitely high on his board.