Road to NSD: Pac-12 predictions

LB Mique Juarez, Torrance (Calif.) North (5-star)

Juarez committed to USC early in the process but never seemed fully comfortable with that decision. After Steve Sarkisian was let go, Juarez officially re-opened his recruitment and instantly became a national commodity. UCLA has long been favored given proximity to home and the opportunity for immediate playing time following the departure of Myles Jack, but Juarez has certainly looked around. Alabama drew a visit last weekend and assistant coach Tosh Lupoi has some serious momentum there. Ole Miss also hosted Juarez and his family during the season and Juarez even threw up the “land shark” signal after making a tackle at the U.S. Army All-American Bowl in San Antonio. A final official visit to BYU is set for this coming weekend, but the buzz right now is with the Crimson Tide.

Prediction: Alabama

CB Jack Jones, Long Beach (Calif.) Poly (5-star)

Perhaps one of the best quotes in the recruiting world, Jones made noise a few times during the process. He cut schools off his top list, only to put them back on, named certain favorites and has been adamant that he is no lock to sign with nearby USC. Jones officially visited Texas A&M during the season and later unofficially visited, too, but the Trojans, who lose cornerback Kevon Seymour off the depth chart, have always been considered the frontrunner. There is history working in USC’s favor as well, having signed the top prospect out of Poly the last two cycles in JuJu Smith-Schuster (2014) and Iman Marshall (2015).

Prediction: USC

LB Caleb Kelly, Fresno (Calif.) Clovis West (5-star)

Kelly officially visited Michigan in mid-September but he eliminated the Wolverines from his final group due to a communication lapse, leaving him with a top three of Notre Dame, Oklahoma and Oregon. He took trips to all three, with the Fighting Irish getting the final one before the dead period in December, but Oklahoma has perhaps the longest standing relationship and should feel very good about its chances heading into National Signing Day. The Sooners have established a pipeline of sorts in the Fresno area and Kelly looks like the next important piece to head to Norman.

Prediction: Oklahoma

TE Devin Asiasi, Concord (Calif.) De La Salle (4-star)

The four-star prospect is getting pulled in five different directions heading into National Signing Day. He has visited Alabama, Michigan, UCLA and Washington, and has a final trip locked in with longtime favorite USC this coming weekend. The Bruins had new assistant Marques Tuiasosopo stop in for an in-home meeting earlier this week, and it’s interesting because Tuiasosopo previously recruited Asiasi for the Trojans. The Wolverines got the most recent visit along with teammate Boss Tagaloa and the Crimson Tide have also been rumored as a landing spot, but we’ll stick with the childhood favorite on this one.

Prediction: USC

WR Damian Alloway, Fontana (Calif.) Summit (4-star)

Alloway nearly came off the board a couple of times during the season, but held off and that’s certainly worked in UCLA’s favor. Notre Dame hosted the dynamic slot receiver last summer and also during the season, and at one point surged ahead and appeared primed to land him, but it appears the staying closer to home became more of a priority. The Bruins have the final weekend to seal the deal heading into the announcement.

Prediction: UCLA

Slowly but surely, head coach Chris Petersen is laying a solid foundation in Seattle. After much success at Boise State, Petersen has shown some promising glimpses during his rebuilding phase with the Huskies, helping them atop the Pac-12 Conference leaderboard in various statistical categories last season. Washington won its last two regular season games to become bowl eligible before winning in the postseason, and Petersen has done a good job of convincing recruits to join the movement. Washington landed four-star cornerback Byron Murphy last week, adding him to a class that already included four-stars Camilo Eifler, Isaiah Gilchrist, Kentrell Love, Sean McGrew, Luke Wattenberg and Brandon Wellington.

The Ducks are in the thick of the race for four-star defensive end Connor Murphy, but Michigan and USC have been trending up and could leave Oregon on the outside looking in. Mark Helfrich and his staff also put in a late offer for three-star defensive end Evan Weaver, but he sounds firm with his Cal commitment. And then there is Kelly, who would be the only five-star in Oregon’s recruiting class, yet it’s looking more like an Oklahoma-Notre Dame battle for his signature. Given how successful the program has been in the last decade, finishing outside the top three in the conference recruiting rankings would be disappointing.

The Bruins need some things to go their way to hold onto the top spot in the Pac-12, but they could accomplish the feat. Juarez, the No. 1-rated prospect in California, is still up for grabs and he could very well decide to stay close to home. UCLA is in a good position for Alloway, Brandon Burton and Tagaloa, and could also be the dark horse pick for Asiasi, the No. 2-rated tight end nationally. Aaron Hansford has the Bruins near the top of his list and there is also the possibility that Jim Mora and Co. could flip Garrett Rand and Francisco Perez from their current commitments.