Pac-12 Spotlight: Teams that won on the recruiting trail in October
October was a busy month on the recruiting trail. Highly ranked prospects announced their commitments and some committed players flipped from one school to another. This week we'll look at each conference’s biggest recruiting winners from October, and next up is the Pac-12.
OCTOBER RECRUITING WINNERS: The ACC | Big 12 | SEC | Big Ten
RELATED: 2023 Pac-12 team rankings
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CLASS OF 2023 RANKINGS: Rivals250 | Team | Position | State
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CLASS OF 2025 RANKINGS: Rivals100
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OREGON
The Ducks are the only team in the entire conference who had more than three commitments in October as Oregon continues to have the No. 1 class in the Pac-12.
All four of Oregon’s pledges last month came from offensive linemen and it was a diverse group of some well-known prospects and others who have flown under the radar in their recruitment. It’s clear position coach Adrian Klemm and the recruiting staff in Eugene worked hard to identify prospects who fit the Ducks’ system.
The highlight is four-star interior offensive lineman Iapani Laloulu, who had Oregon and Arizona as his favorites but the Ducks always seemed like the team to beat. He’s massive, hard-nosed and his brother already plays on the team.
JUCO offensive lineman George Silva could be a diamond in the rough who went to Fullerton (Calif.) Fullerton College with a basketball background but then football clicked. Santa Ana (Calif.) Mater Dei’s Lipe Moala is big and powerful as well and Palm Desert, Calif., OL Bryce Boulton wasn’t recruited a ton by other programs but landed a Ducks’ offer and took it.
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UCLA
Other than Oregon, the Bruins were the busiest team in the Pac-12, landing three pledges as it was a relatively quiet October across the conference.
UCLA did some solid work, though, first landing four-star defensive back RJ Jones from Bellflower (Calif.) St. John Bosco – as it’s always a good idea to recruit players from that team. The Bruins might not be done as they are looking to flip four-star quarterback Pierce Clarkson from Louisville as well.
They weren’t done after Jones as they landed commitments from Los Alamitos, Calif., athlete Ethan O’Connor and three-star linebacker Solomone Malafu out of Kapa’a, Hawaii as well.
Malafu is especially interesting because he can play inside or outside but looks most comfortable off the edge. While he isn’t overly physical, the Hawaiian linebacker is always, always getting players on the ground and that’s what is most impressive about him.
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USC
The Trojans have the second-best class in the Pac-12 behind Oregon and while the month of October only generated two commitments, both players are highly skilled and can contribute along the lines of scrimmage.
San Diego (Calif.) Lincoln edge rusher David Peevy has excellent length and can track down the ball carrier and then former Notre Dame offensive line commit Elijah Paige from Phoenix (Ariz.) Pinnacle – also the home of No. 1 tight end Duce Robinson – pledged shortly after his visit to USC.
The Trojans currently have the No. 13 class nationally led by five-stars quarterback Malachi Nelson and receiver Zachariah Branch.
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UTAH
Kyle Whittingham and his staff went to two unlikely places for the Utes to add capable pass-catchers to the offense in October as Lakeland, Fla., Daidren Zipperer, a former Pitt commit, and Meridian (Idaho) Rocky Mountain tight end CJ Jacobsen made their commitments.
Zipperer is a three-star and won’t blow anyone away with stats since Lakeland doesn’t throw the ball often. Jacobsen is a big 6-foot-5 receiver who could follow in the footsteps of many other star tight ends for the Utes.
Utah is sitting sixth in the Pac-12 team rankings but with only 16 total pledges there could still be some room to move up.
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STANFORD
Arizona State and Washington State also had one commit each and that was it for a boring month in the Pac-12 when it came to pledges but the Cardinal landing high three-star linebacker Tre Williams from Dallas (Texas) Parish Episcopal School was a big win.
Boston College and Cal were the other front-runners for Williams, who became Stanford’s lone commit of the entire fall and second since August. Ranked No. 36 nationally, the Cardinal do have some impressive players in this class with six four-stars led by tight end Walker Lyons.