West Spotlight: Five players delaying decisions during dead period

There has been a rush of commitments since the beginning of April, many from prospects who have accelerated their decisions in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic that has paused the sports world. Without the ability to take college visits, though, other prospects have delayed their decisions, helping some programs and hurting others. Here is a look at five prospects in the West region who have slowed their decision-process and where they now stand.

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Tuimoloau has operated an interesting recruitment because for all the attention and all the offers, the No. 4 overall prospect in the 2021 class has largely been quiet about talking offers or really laying out a commitment timetable. He’s not one for all the hoopla about the recruiting process and because of that and because of a busy basketball schedule, Tuimoloau has not taken many visits, either. His patience could be pushing back a commitment, though, since he cannot get on the road now.

So far, the five-star defensive end has seen Oregon, UCLA and Alabama along with Washington of course but Ohio State is also high on his list. He wanted to visit there along with many others this spring, but the coronavirus travel ban has put a stop to that. Any decision before his senior season looks highly unlikely now especially if he cannot see Ohio State, USC, Stanford and possibly others as this travel ban stays intact. Getting to Columbus seems like the highest priority.

That has to benefit Washington over the short run. If he gets to see Ohio State anytime soon, the Buckeyes could surge ahead but until Tuimoloau can actually spend time on the road and focus on his recruitment, a commitment seems highly unlikely.

Egbuka makes it clear that he does not have a specific date for his commitment - especially now that he has been unable to get out for more visits, so things could play out much longer. The five-star receiver has a top seven of Clemson, Ohio State, Oklahoma, Oregon, Washington, Stanford and LSU and he wanted to take a bunch of visits over the spring with Clemson probably topping that list. Again, that won’t happen anytime soon.

Last fall, Egbuka took only one trip and it was to Ohio State. He had a great time on the visit, but admitted that it was also a hassle to fly across the country, spend the weekend in Columbus and then fly right back for school. He would have preferred to take trips this spring, take his time during the visits and then maybe even reach a decision before his senior season since in-seasons trips aren’t his favorite.

That’s almost impossible now. While there is no set date, Egbuka said he does want to take all his official visits before committing. That might mean an extremely busy summer if he’s allowed to travel or he could wait until after his senior year. Ohio State is still considered the team to beat but Washington cannot be discounted, either. With limited travel possible, the Buckeyes look best.

Wright had so many visits planned it’s hard to keep count - and he wanted to do all of them before making a commitment, which means the four-star cornerback is probably far from making a decision.

The Los Angeles Loyola standout wanted to see Oregon first and then see Texas, Texas A&M, and Baylor during a swing through the state. Florida State was going to get a visit and he wanted to see the schools in North Carolina since he was going to be there filming a television show (Wright wants to pursue acting and he’s playing LeBron James’ son in Space Jam 2).

That’s not all. Trips throughout the Midwest were going to happen as Penn State and Michigan are some recent offers and Notre Dame intrigues him as well. USC is high on the list and the Trojans could have an edge but there’s no doubt Wright wants to see a whole lot more schools before a commitment. With no traveling allowed, everything else is put on hold.

Simmons originally committed to Oregon without ever visiting Eugene. That pledge lasted two months as the four-star offensive tackle still likes the Ducks a lot but realized he decided too early and wanted to see a bunch of schools through the spring before making another commitment.

USC has made a significant charge in his recruitment and the Trojans could be highest on his list. But Washington, Utah, Oklahoma, Nebraska, Michigan, Georgia, Miami, Michigan State, Penn State and others have offered since late March and Simmons has said he definitely wants to see a lot of campuses before making his second commitment.

Oregon remains a player and USC looks best right now but until Simmons can get back on the road - which is not anytime soon - a second pledge almost definitely won’t happen. If not all those trips happen because Simmons gets into his senior season, the Trojans could top the list.

Wilkins is taking a wait-and-see approach when it comes to a commitment timeline since he wants to take visits to many of his top schools all over the country but also wants to have a realistic timeframe to make a decision if the NCAA keeps pushing back its reopen date.

The three-star defensive end hopes to see Oregon and Washington. He wants to go to Northwestern and Michigan. Virginia and Boston College are hopefully in the cards as well. The local schools - USC and UCLA - are a strong possibility but he can get there at any time once he can meet with the coaches again.

Cal and Stanford remain the favorites for Wilkins and he’s familiar with both places, so a commitment might happen sooner than expected if he cannot get back on the road, but Wilkins really wants to see more schools before finalizing his pledge. He’s waiting to see if that is possible.