West Spotlight: Long way to go for many top prospects

The regular season in the West is wrapping up and playoffs are right around the corner. Here are five storylines to watch as the season wraps up from uncommitted recruits to standout 2020 quarterbacks and much more.

MORE REGIONAL SPOTLIGHTS: Southeast | Midwest | Mid-Atlantic

CLASS OF 2018 RANKINGS: Rivals250 | State | Team | Position

Four of the top five West prospects remain uncommitted and it does not seem like any of them are in a rush to make their pledges, which could mean they will continue the recruiting process at least until the all-star events, if not National Signing Day.

Adding to the intrigue is that all of them are five-star prospects.

The nation’s top receiver, Amon-Ra St. Brown from Santa Ana (Calif.) Mater Dei, has already visited Michigan and Notre Dame but he’s not planning trips to Stanford and USC until after the season. UCLA could also get a trip.

Standout cornerback Isaac Taylor-Stuart said recently Alabama and Texas A&M are definitely going to receive official visits and then he’s considering LSU and others. USC remains a front-runner in Taylor-Stuart’s recruitment, but Oregon and others cannot be counted out.

This summer, five-star athlete Devon Williams, who could star at receiver or safety, said Oregon is his favorite. But the 6-foot-4, 210-pound prospect still has a top list that includes USC and UCLA among others, and since he doesn’t talk about his recruitment much it’s tough to know if the Ducks still stand out most.

Lastly, there is five-star receiver Jalen Hall. Some believe he’ll end up at USC with former Los Angeles Hawkins teammates Joseph Lewis and Greg Johnson, but there is also the thought he could leave town with Florida, LSU, Nebraska, Ohio State and others in the mix. Hall seems far off from a decision.

Five-star linebacker and USC commit Palaie Gaoteote is the only top-five prospect in the West who’s made his pledge.

A concern for the Pac-12, the top four committed prospects in the West are all headed out of the conference if things go as planned.

Four-star defensive back Jaiden Woodbey is committed to Ohio State, four-star quarterback Matt Corral is pledged to Florida, four-star linebacker Jack Lamb is headed to Notre Dame and four-star quarterback Cameron Rising has picked Texas.

That’s not all across the West. Four-star tight end Brevin Jordan from Las Vegas Bishop Gorman is going to Miami and there’s a good possibility the top two prospects in Utah - four-star offensive tackle Penei Sewell and four-star defensive end Cameron Latu - end up at Alabama. Latu is already committed to the Crimson Tide, but Utah and USC shouldn’t be completely counted out yet.

Amon-Ra St. Brown is the top-ranked wide receiver in the 2018 class and arguably one of the most talented in recent memory. He’s special and unstoppable and putting up huge numbers - unsurprisingly - in his senior season.

But where will he play college football?

Santa Ana (Calif.) Mater Dei quarterback JT Daniels, the top-rated prospect in the 2019 class, is committed to USC and playing together at the next level could be something to watch. Daniels and St. Brown have tremendous chemistry and they’ve been outstanding all season. The five-star receiver is expected to visit USC after the season and the Trojans could definitely be a favorite.

St. Brown has already visited Michigan and Notre Dame (where his brother Equanimeous plays) and both trips went really well. USC and Stanford are supposed to land visits after the season and UCLA is also hanging in there.

As for which program leads? It’s anyone’s guess and St. Brown isn’t saying much. But he did say which quarterback he plays with in college will be an important consideration and is there anyone better than Daniels?

Only five of the top 50 players in California for the 2019 class have committed led by Daniels, followed by four-star linebacker De’Gabriel Floyd (USC), four-star athlete Casey Kline (Arizona), three-star WR Colby Bowman (Stanford) and three-star Jonathan Perkins (UCLA).

In Florida, five of the top eight prospects have already committed. In Texas, six of the top 12 have made their pledges.

That means there are a ton of top California prospects still available like five-star defensive end Kayvon Thibodeaux, who’s looking at USC, a bunch of SEC schools and others, four-star athlete Bru McCoy, who’s emerging as one of the top recruits in the West, if not the nation, and many others late in their junior seasons.

One storyline that will continue to be followed in the coming years is the 2020 quarterback class in the West, which is loaded with phenomenal players who could be atop the rankings.

There is already a healthy debate about whether Los Angeles Cathedral’s Bryce Young or Bellflower (Calif.) St. John Bosco’s D.J. Uiagalelei is the best quarterback in Southern California. They’re very different in many ways but both have very talented arms and both are playmakers.

Then there is Jack Miller at Scottsdale (Ariz.) Chaparral who’s coming off another visit to Ohio State and looked impressive at USC’s camp this summer.

Those are only three names. The class is already loaded at that position - and many others - and these recruits are just getting through their sophomore seasons.