Pac-12 recruiting: All eyes on Seattle; Oregon’s big JUCO news; Arizona’s double whammy; and OSU’s guest list

The Washington-Oregon showdown will have a slew of top prospects on hand in Seattle

The Pac-12 Hotline is excited to bring Pac-12 fans a regular look at the recruiting process through the eyes and ears of Brandon Huffman, the national recruiting editor for 247Sports based in Seattle. On October 12, he submitted the following report…

Monster clash on Montlake; elite recruits in Seattle

On Saturday, the Oregon-Washington game will be the center of college football.

The Huskies will host a slew of top targets and recruits as ESPN’s ‘College GameDay’ airs live from Red Square on UW’s campus.

Two of the top prospects in attendance have Washington and Oregon on their short list.

Washington will welcome the top uncommitted recruits from both Northern California and the Pacific Northwest, defensive lineman Jericho Johnson and running back Jason Brown.

Johnson, from Fairfield, California, will compete in the final four against Oregon, USC, Utah, and Washington. Brown, who is from Seattle, has a final three of Michigan State, Oregon, and his alma mater, Washington.

Several Husky commits from the 2024 class, including Portland cornerback Elias Johnson and five California prospects: Bellflower linebacker Khmori House, Rancho Cucamonga quarterback Dermaricus Davis, Glendora tight end Decker DeGraaf, San Juan Capistrano receiver Jason Robinson, and Westlake Village receiver Justice Williams, will be in attendance.

Meanwhile, Arizona has lost two commitments in the last week, both from local prospects. Keona Wilhite, an edge rusher, will be in Seattle.

The Other Salpointe Decommit

Sunday night was a busy recruiting night.

That’s because Arizona’s top player, five-star edge rusher Elijah Rushing of Salpointe Catholic in Tucson, has opened up his recruitment.

Rushing’s selection of Arizona in July was a huge coup for third-year coach Jedd Fisch. But, just a day after suffering a heartbreaking triple-overtime loss to USC, Fisch suffered another heartbreak when Rushing de-committed.

Oregon was quickly named the 247Sports Crystal Ball favorite to sign Rushing. The Ducks were a big part of his recruitment the first time around.

Ducks land No. 1 JUCO prospect

Oregon received good news literally minutes before Rushing de-committed from Arizona.

Sione Laulea of College of San Mateo (California), the No. 1 junior college prospect in the industry-generated 247Sports Composite Rankings, has committed to Oregon.

Laulea attended the same high school as former Ducks Bennett Williams and George Moore, and he chose Oregon over USC and Miami.

More good news for Oregon?

The No. 1 player in California will make his decision shortly before kickoff inside Husky Stadium.

Aydin Breland of Mater Dei High School, the No. 4 defensive lineman in the country and the No. 11 overall recruit, will choose his college.

His finalists are Georgia, Miami, and Oregon, but the buzz is that it will be a Georgia-Oregon showdown.

Will it be Dan Lanning’s current or previous school?

The word will spread before Lanning’s first practice on Saturday.

Arizona gets some flips

Arizona didn’t have it all bad this week, despite the losses of Wilhite and Rushing.

The Wildcats ruined San Diego State’s weekend by stealing two Aztec pledges: Rancho Cucamonga (California) athletes Stacy Bey and Rahim Wright both flipped their SDSU pledges.

Beavers’ big moment

While Washington’s game against Oregon is getting a lot of attention, it’s not the only nationally televised game in the Pacific Northwest between ranked Pac-12 teams.

Oregon State is hosting several key recruits for its FOX primetime game against UCLA.

OSU’s first Saturday home game in nearly a month will feature several recruits, with the Bruins visiting Reser Stadium and the Beavers coming off consecutive conference victories over Utah and Cal.

All three of the Beavers’ commitments from within the state are at the top of the list: Portland linebacker Dexter Foster, Medford offensive lineman Terrell Kim, and Prineville athlete Eddie Freauff. They will also have an out-of-state commitment, offensive tackle Payton Stewart, visiting Kelso, Washington.

Ryland Jessee of La Mesa (California) will be the most intriguing visitor.

In June, Jessee paid an official visit to Oregon State before committing to Utah State. Nonetheless, the Beavers continued to recruit him — they are looking for a quarterback in the 2024 class — and will host Jessee this weekend.

He won’t be the only committed prospect there. Meridian (Idaho) kicker/punter Martin Connington, a Boise State commit, will also be in Reser Stadium.

Other Pac-12 commits

Over the last week, two other Pac-12 schools received commitments:

Amontrae Bradford of Statesboro, Georgia, chose to play for Deion Sanders and Colorado.

And Miami tight end Benjamin Blackburn chose Stanford’s Troy Taylor as his first-year coach.