Advertisement
football Edit

Who will new dead period impact most in the Pac-12?

Clay Helton
Clay Helton (AP Images)

On March 13, the NCAA returned recruiting to a dead period, eliminating in-person contact between member institutions and prospective student-athletes. The cessation of recruiting visits has affected every college football program in the country, but it has affected some more than others. Today, we take a look at which Pac-12 teams are most and least affected by the recruiting visit shutdown.

MORE: What Big Ten teams will be most affected? | SEC?

CLASS OF 2020 RANKINGS: Rivals250 | Position | Team | State

CLASS OF 2021 RANKINGS: Rivals250 | Position | Team | State

*****

Advertisement

MOST IMPACTED 

Arizona State 

The Sun Devils finished fourth in the Pac-12 team recruiting rankings in the 2020 class and there was a lot of momentum heading into the 2021 class. And then - boom - the coronavirus travel ban. Two of the best assets Arizona State can offer is face time with coach Herm Edwards and an outstanding group of assistant coaches along with a beautiful campus and a great area that offers a lot. If prospects cannot visit, though, it will be an uphill battle for Edwards and his staff not only with in-state prospects, which continue to leave in big numbers, but especially top recruits from California that always visit ASU during the spring.

SHARE YOUR THOUGHTS WITH ARIZONA STATE FANS AT DEVILSDIGEST.COM

*****

USC  

USC had the lowest-rated class in the Pac-12 for 2020 and the Trojans had turned a little bit of a corner in recent weeks after an elite junior day went really well. So many top prospects spoke about a fresh start from coach Clay Helton on down and with a bunch of new coaches on staff - including defensive coordinator Todd Orlando - it was important to get the state’s top players among many others on campus through the spring. With that not possible, it’s a missed opportunity for USC especially since five of the state’s top six players are already committed, with only one to the Trojans.

SHARE YOUR THOUGHTS WITH USC FANS AT TROJANSPORTS.COM

*****

Washington 

One of the best things coach Jimmy Lake has done in his first few months on the job is to keep high four-star quarterback Sam Huard in the class, although it was unlikely the lefty standout was headed anywhere else. Still, these spring months were incredibly valuable for Lake as he offered his vision to prospects who wanted to know more about where the Washington program was headed with coach Chris Petersen stepping down.

The messaging from Lake and his assistants is that the train is staying on the tracks and not much will change and so recruiting should not fall off at all. Still, junior days are always valuable at Washington and elite regional and national recruits need to get face time with Lake, but that’s just not possible now.

SHARE YOUR THOUGHTS WITH WASHINGTON FANS AT DAWGREPORT.COM

*****

Washington State 

In late January, Nick Rolovich made news when he went to a Seattle bar and bought people drinks, socialized and tried to sell the Washington State brand in the state. Now bars are closed, campuses are closed, visits are not happening and that’s tough for a first-year coach trying to take over for someone who was popular and a national name in Mike Leach. The Cougars need to get recruits on campus so they can meet Rolovich and hear his vision, but it’s not happening now.

SHARE YOUR THOUGHTS WITH WASHINGTON STATE FANS AT WAZZUWATCH.COM

LEAST IMPACTED 

Oregon 

The Ducks have had back-to-back top recruiting classes in the Pac-12 and coach Mario Cristobal got a jump start on 2021 with a league-high six commitments, including five four-stars led by ATH Seven McGee and linebacker Keith Brown, the state’s top player. It takes momentum to win the recruiting game and Oregon definitely has it, especially in California, where a lot of players not only have serious interest in the Ducks but also visit and fall in love with the place. Losing assistant coach Donte Williams to USC hurts, but Oregon has been recruiting incredibly well and a lack of spring visits probably won’t slow that down.

SHARE YOUR THOUGHTS WITH OREGON FANS AT DUCKSPORTSAUTHORITY.COM

*****

STANFORD 

In many recruiting cycles, Stanford takes its time building its recruiting class and there are challenging academic requirements to even get in the school, which takes a long time. Plus, there are so many other reasons why top recruits pick Stanford other than just football, so immediacy is not a major consideration for its recruiting class.

If anything, the Cardinal could take advantage over the course of an entire recruiting cycle to even the playing field, since not many elite recruits are making their decisions because they cannot take visits.

SHARE YOUR THOUGHTS WITH STANFORD FANS AT CARDINALSPORTSREPORT.COM

Advertisement