The Hotline is delighted to supply West Coast followers with a daily dive into the recruiting course of by way of the eyes and ears of Brandon Huffman, the Seattle-based nationwide recruiting editor for 247Sports. He submitted the next report on Aug. 28 …
Wonky calendar, defined
Whereas Hawaii was the one western-based workforce to host a sport on Week 0, the common season begins with full pressure this weekend.
The August kickoff dates permit colleges taking part in at dwelling to host recruits despite the fact that the recruiting lifeless interval doesn’t finish till Sunday evening.
After all, there’s a catch.
Colleges are allowed to host gamers for as much as 48 hours earlier than a house sport or 48 hours after the sport. Meaning video games held on Thursday might have recruits on campus as early as Tuesday and as late as Saturday. Video games on Friday permit for Wednesday by way of Sunday recruiting visits. And customary Saturday video games create a window from Thursday till Monday.
However not one of the three video games scheduled for this Sunday or Monday are on western campuses — the host colleges are South Carolina, Miami and North Carolina — so these days are moot.
With September comes the analysis interval, which lasts by way of November. It permits a most of 33 analysis days for college visits, sport visits, and so on.
The early-signing interval begins Dec. 3 and lasts three days, ending simply earlier than championship weekend, bowl bulletins and the opening of the winter switch portal. Any official visits to campuses should conclude by Nov. 30.
Bought all that?
This weekend additionally marks the top of the longest recruiting lifeless interval in current reminiscence, except the COVID summer time.
It started June 22, which means recruits haven’t been capable of go to campuses for greater than two months.
However with the video games returning this weekend, so will the visits.
The place the ’26 class stands
The vast majority of recruiting for the highschool class of 2026 is full. Each four- and five-star prospect within the West has introduced a dedication.
What now? There could also be some late flips prematurely of the early-signing interval. However late-stage modifications have been minimized with the onset of income sharing and monetary offers which are consummated previous to commitments.
If there’s one recruitment to look at, it includes the No. 1 prospect in California, quarterback Ryder Lyons of Folsom Excessive Faculty outdoors Sacramento.
Lyons dedicated to Brigham Younger in June, and there’s no indication he’s waffling. However with Lyons planning to serve a one-year church mission starting this winter, colleges stay open to him.
That stated, it’s tough to see the method ending any approach aside from Lyons signing with the Cougars.
Theoretically, gamers might sign up December after which go away in January through the switch portal with out having their eligibility impacted.
That’s basically what occurred with Cal quarterback Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele, who dedicated in July 2024, flipped to Oregon on signing day in December, suited up for the Geese within the Rose Bowl and was within the switch portal by Jan. 3. He arrived in Berkeley three days later.
And it labored out masterfully for Sagapolutele. He was named the Bears’ starter for his or her season opener towards Oregon State this weekend.
May that occur once more? At the moment, something is feasible.
What’s the main focus?
The eye this fall might be on the present highschool juniors and, in some instances, sophomores.
With a current uptick in gamers reclassifying, colleges know which sophomores could also be candidates to leap one educational yr and enroll in school — and accumulate a paycheck — earlier than later.
However the principle focus for recruiters might be on the juniors, and that features game-day visits and in-person evaluations at their highschool video games.
The junior yr is essential within the analysis course of, and a variety of states have new No. 1 prospects among the many senior class — the gamers who used their junior yr as a catapult.
Coaches and personnel staffs will spend ample time watching the juniors this fall whereas maintaining a tally of the sophomores and, sure, even the freshmen.
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