Pac-12 recruiting: Oregon cleans up, Colorado searches for help and the spotlight turns to a lineman

The Ducks are bolstering their defensive front with high-caliber prospects.

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 November 2, he submitted the following report…

All eyes on Jericho

With the commitment of Arizona’s top prospect, Elijah Rushing, to Oregon earlier this week, all eyes are on four-star defensive lineman Jericho Johnson of Fairfield, California.

Johnson, the West’s highest-rated uncommitted player — and the state’s top uncommitted player now that defensive lineman Aydin Breland has committed to Oregon — still has more official visits scheduled before the season ends.

In the summer, Johnson named a final four of Oregon, USC, Utah, and Washington.

He had previously paid an official visit to Washington in June, and he was back in Seattle last month when the Huskies defeated Oregon.

Johnson paid his second official visit to Utah last weekend, traveling to Salt Lake City. Even though the Utes’ season ended abruptly, they left a lasting impression on Johnson.

Johnson was scheduled to visit USC this weekend, but that trip may be postponed until December, when USC will have more time to spend with him.

Oregon is still planning to host Johnson for an official visit after the regular season ends in December.

Johnson hopes to announce his decision during the December early-signing period, with plans to enroll in January.

Rushing pivots quickly to the Ducks

When the Ducks signed Breland, a five-star prospect from Santa Ana, last month, they already had a commitment from the top interior defensive lineman in the West.

Rushing, a Tucson native, one-time Arizona pledge, and the region’s No. 1 pass rusher, has now committed. Oregon now has two five-star defensive linemen as a result of this combination.

Coach Dan Lanning has made it clear that he wants to build his team around the defensive line. One year after acquiring elite edge rusher Matayo Uiagalelei, the Ducks bolstered an already strong unit with Rushing and Breland.

And they’re currently the favorites for Johnson.

There are plenty of offensive line positions available.

Deion Sanders drew a lot of attention on Saturday when he slammed Colorado’s offensive line.

Shadeur Sanders was sacked seven times and harassed for the majority of the evening against UCLA, and CU’s first-year head coach offered a sober assessment of his offensive front.

“The big picture, you go get new linemen,” that’s what he said.

While it won’t help them until next fall, Sanders and Colorado are working to change that.

Butler (Kansas) Community College offensive tackle Issiah Walker Jr., the No. 2 junior college tackle in the country and the No. 9 junior college prospect in the country, committed to Colorado on Monday.

Walker has been through a lot.

He signed with Florida right out of high school, despite being from Miami. He returned to Miami the following year to play for the Hurricanes before heading west to Butler.

And he was set to attend Purdue this spring before deciding to return to Butler for the fall season.

After all, he’ll be wearing black and gold only for the Buffaloes, not the Boilermakers.

When Bradenton (Florida) IMG Academy tackle Jordan Seaton visits Colorado this weekend, the Buffs will have a chance to impress one of the country’s top prep linemen.

Seaton, the No. 1 offensive tackle in the 247Sports Composite Rankings, stands 6-foot-5 and weighs 287 pounds. He traveled to Florida in the fall and to Alabama in the spring.

Seaton has also made unofficial visits to Oregon and Tennessee, and he’ll make another official visit to Ohio State next weekend.