West Mail: Houstons Destination

Rivals.com heads back into the West Coast mailbag to address your questions on Cal's strong start, the recent decommittment of Christian Folau, 2016 Arizona recruiting, and more. To reach out to Rivals.com West Coast analysts Adam Gorney and Rob Cassidy for future versions of the mailbag, contact them via email or Twitter.

@adamgorney any lb's favoring Oregon right now?- Howard Erlich (@buddydapimp) October 10, 2014

There are plenty of top-level names on the board, that's for sure. None have committed yet but five-stars John Houston and Keisean Lucier-South are expected to visit in the coming months with Houston planning to be in Eugene this weekend for the Ducks' game against Washington.

It could still be considered a long shot but I've been told on numerous occasions that if there is one school that could beat USC for Houston's services it would be Oregon. This visit could be crucial in his recruitment and really mean a lot even if he doesn't make his final decision until closer to National Signing Day.

Lucier-South is probably leaning to UCLA or Oklahoma at this point. He took his official visit to Michigan this past weekend but there is a lot of coaching turmoil there obviously so that could play a factor as the season continues. He doesn't have a date planned yet for Oregon but with his athleticism and size he would fit in that defense well.

Oregon has loaded up at other positions and has the third-best class in the conference behind USC and UCLA, respectively, at this point. The Ducks are a little light on linebackers but there's no question a lot of top prospects are still looking in that direction.

-- Rivals.com West Coast recruiting analyst Adam Gorney

@adamgorney Any recruiting news for Cal? Is there more interest now that they're winning? #AskRivals- al b (@albnomaam) October 10, 2014

There is plenty more interest in Cal's program since the Golden Bears look like a completely different team this season, which means they've gotten competitive.

Penn State has been interested in quarterback commit Ross Bowers for a long time and after Brandon Wimbush flipped from the Nittany Lions to Notre Dame, it could have gotten more serious. But Bowers is sticking with Cal because he believes in the coaching staff and the program.

Four-star cornerback Malik Psalms is super talented and there are sleepers in this class like Lonny Powell and Greyson Bankhead who have the ability to be immediate contributors. There are plenty of top 2016 prospects that have shown a lot more interest in Cal especially in the last few months.

Beating Washington would have been huge. It was a setback especially since Cal got taken down badly but this program is on the rise, recruits see that things are going in the right direction and they're taking a serious look once again.

-- Gorney

The rankings currently say that it's Chandler High School athlete Chase Lucas, but I'm not sure how accurate that is after seeing the first half of the season. It's something we'll take a hard look at when it's time to re-rank the class. Scottsdale (Ariz.) Saguaro defensive back Byron Murphy, who recently picked up an offer from USC, certainly has made a case.

Murphy plays his game in a lower division than Lucas, but that has nothing to do with his talent. Murphy has suitable size and is has been consistently great in games I've attended. The only clear answer is that class' top player is either Murphy or Lucas. The race is pretty contested and both prospects will have a lengthy list of options before all is done.

I think Arizona State is in better shape with Lucas than it is with Murphy at the time being, but it's extremely early and the recruitment of each will take a few turns before signing day 2016.

-- Rob Cassidy, Southwest/Midlands Recruiting analyst

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Things are always a bit murky in the wake of a broken commitment, and the case is no different with Folau, who parted ways with Stanford after struggling to meet the schools' admissions requirements. The good news for Oklahoma State, is that it is one of the programs that Folau immediately knew he wanted to visit. That certainly isn't a bad thing.

As thing stand now, Oklahoma State, Utah, Washington and Wisconsin seem to be the main players. USC and UCLA seem to be contemplating offering Folau. How serious he is about the Cowboys will likely be revealed after his visit to Stillwater.

-- Cassidy

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