Pac-12 recruiting: Oregon cleans up, Colorado searches for help and the spotlight turns to a lineman
Colorado coach Deion Sanders made no secret of his desire to bolster CU's offensive line.
The Hotline is delighted to provide Pac-12 fans with a regular dive into the recruiting process through the eyes and ears of Brandon Huffman, the Seattle-based national recruiting editor for 247Sports. He submitted the following report on Nov. 2 …
All eyes on Jericho
With the commitment of Elijah Rushing, the No. 1 prospect in Arizona, to Oregon earlier this week, all eyes are turning to four-star defensive lineman Jericho Johnson of Fairfield, California.
The highest-rated uncommitted player in the West — and the top uncommitted Californian now that defensive lineman Aydin Breland has announced for Oregon — Johnson still has more official visits on the docket before the season ends.
Johnson named a final four in the summer of Oregon, USC, Utah and Washington.
He had previously visited Washington for an official visit in June, then was back in Seattle last month when the Huskies took down Oregon.
Last weekend, Johnson took his second official visit, tripping to Salt Lake City to see Utah. And while things went sideways quickly for the Utes, they still left a big impression on Johnson.
Johnson is supposed to visit USC this weekend, but that trip may get pushed back to December, when USC has more time to spend with him.
Oregon is still set to host Johnson for an official visit, likely in December after the regular season concludes.
Johnson is looking to announce his destination during the early-signing period in December, with plans to enroll in January.
Rushing quickly pivots to the Ducks
Oregon already had a pledge from the top interior defensive lineman in the West when the Ducks landed Breland, the five-star prospect from Santa Ana, last month.
Now they can add a commitment from Rushing, the Tucson native, one-time Arizona pledge and No. 1 pass rusher in the region. The combination gives Oregon two five-star defensive linemen.
It’s no secret that coach Dan Lanning wants to build his team around the defensive line. One year after they landed elite edge rusher Matayo Uiagalelei, the Ducks made a stout unit even stronger with Rushing and Breland.
And they’re the favorites for Johnson at this point.
Offensive line spots aren’t hard to find
Deion Sanders caught a lot of ears on Saturday when he took a very blunt view of Colorado’s offensive line.
After Shadeur Sanders was sacked seven times against UCLA and harassed for most of the evening, CU’s first-year head coach offered a sober assessment of his offensive front.
“The big picture, you go get new linemen,” he said.
While it won’t help them until next fall, Sanders and Colorado are already taking steps to remedy that.
On Monday, Butler (Kansas) Community College offensive tackle Issiah Walker Jr., the No. 2 junior college tackle nationally and the No. 9 junior college prospect in the country, announced his commitment to Colorado.
Walker has had quite the journey.
Originally from Miami, he signed with Florida out of high school. He spent the following year back in Miami, playing for the Hurricanes, before heading west to Butler.
And he was set to go to Purdue this spring but ultimately decided to return to Butler to play this fall.
Now, he’ll wear black and gold, after all — only for the Buffaloes, not the Boilermakers.
The Buffs will also have a big opportunity to impress one of the elite prep linemen in the country when Bradenton (Florida) IMG Academy tackle Jordan Seaton takes his official to Colorado this weekend.
The No. 1 offensive tackle in the 247Sports Composite Rankings, Seaton is a 6-foot-5, 287-pounder. He visited Florida this fall and took an official to Alabama in the spring.
Seaton has also taken unofficial visits to Oregon and Tennessee, and he’ll take another official next weekend when sees Ohio State.
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