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Three-Point Stance: Pac-12, Tate Martell, top teams by position

CLASS OF 2020 RANKINGS: Rivals250 | State | Position | Team

REPLACING THE STARS: Who can fill some big shoes next season?

Rivals.com National Recruiting Director Mike Farrell’s Three-Point Stance is here with a Pac-12 recruiting look, how college football free agency is upon us and what teams are known for certain positions.

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1. CHECKING IN ON PAC-12 RECRUITING

Myles Hinton
Myles Hinton (Chad Simmons)

It’s the start of spring (sort of) so it’s time to break down the 2020 recruiting so far in each conference. We continue with the Pac-12.

Biggest commitment: OT Myles Hinton, Stanford – Hinton could also be the Long Haul Commit, but he fits this category better because he’s clearly the biggest and best commitment in the Pac-12 so far.

Best Out Of State Grab: WR Chad Johnson Jr., Arizona State — For the Sun Devils to land the talented son of Ocho Cinco out of California shows how much of a factor they can be in the Golden State moving forward.

In-State Keep: QB Bryce Young, USC – Many thought that Young would go to Oklahoma and be the next Kyler Murray so for USC to hang onto him and have him be the heir apparent to JT Daniels is a major keep.

Positional Fit: QB Ethan Garbers, Washington – The Huskies have good quarterback depth based on recent recruiting, but I like the way Garbers fits into what they like to do on offense. He’s a quick decision-maker, smart and he picks things up quickly.

Top Class: Stanford – As usual, the Pac-12 isn’t boasting a ton of early offers so no one has a huge lead, but Stanford has the best class right now led by Hinton and wide receiver John Humphreys.

Underrated Class: Washington – How can a class with only two commitments be underrated? The most commitments for any team in the Pac-12 is three and I really like Garbers as stated above and think Gaard Memmelaar could be a terrific tackle.

Long Haul Commit: ATH Avantae Williams, Oregon – Williams is an exceptional talent and you can’t ask for a commitment further than from Florida to Oregon. Mario Cristobal and his Florida ties keep paying dividends for the Ducks.

Sleeper To Watch: QB Will Plummer, Arizona – Plummer isn’t the tallest quarterback in the world but he is thick and powerful and has a strong arm. He decided not to follow his brother Jack to Purdue and stayed home to play for Kevin Sumlin in an offense he can excel in.

Must Keep: LB Justin Flowe – I could easily put Sav’ell Smalls here as well but Flowe is slightly higher-ranked and a bit more rare as a linebacker prospect. He’s looking at schools from almost every conference so someone, USC probably, has to step up and keep him in conference.

Under Pressure: USC – You think Clay Helton is under a little pressure at USC? Recruiting was down last year to a level never seen before in Rivals.com history and the on field product is ugly. They had better finish in the top five in recruiting and win eight or nine games or he’s gone.

Getting Into The Groove: Oregon – Oregon’s recruiting last year was very impressive and they seem to be just getting started. Cristobal and his staff do a great job and his ties to the Southeast certainly help. If he keeps recruiting like this, he will play for a Pac-12 title sooner than later.

2. FREE AGENCY IS HERE TO STAY IN COLLEGE FOOTBALL

Tate Martell
Tate Martell (AP Images)

Tate Martell may or may not be the one who pushed things over the edge, but let’s be clear about one thing: college football free agency is here and it’s here to stay.

Martell, the talented quarterback who just received approval on his “hardship” waiver to transfer from Ohio State and play immediately at Miami, reportedly received such approval simply because the Buckeyes didn’t want him anymore. Yes, that’s a hardship to some but certainly not what the NCAA intended when it instituted the rule that a player has to sit out for a year when transferring.

When Ohio State got Justin Fields, the Buckeyes didn’t need Martell anymore and apparently didn’t pursue keeping him thus giving him the “hardship” required to avoid the one-year penalty.

Everyone knows me as a crotchety old stick-in-the-mud and the “get off my lawn” guy, but you know what? I’m happy about this. I’ve caved. If the athletes aren't going to get paid, then why should they have to sit out a year unlike any non-athletic students when they want to find a new college? It hasn’t made sense for years, especially with college coaches changing jobs like they change underwear. There have to be a few limits, like not allowing athletes to transfer in-season and the like, but let’s roll with free agency. Recruiting is fun to follow and now the transfer portal, which should also be available at least to the media, is fun as well. Baker Mayfield and Kyler Murray transferred and they will likely be the most recent No. 1 picks in the NFL Draft, so success is out there if you make the wrong choice during the recruiting process.

Let the games begin and let’s get rid of the “hardship” waiver portion of the transfer process because it’s clearly a joke.

3. TOP PROGRAMS AT EACH POSITION

Derek Stingley Jr.
Derek Stingley Jr. (Nick Lucero/Rivals.com)

There are certain programs that have done an exceptional track record of recruiting and producing at specific positions. So what teams should be known for each position based on the last couple of years in recruiting, college football and the NFL?

Quarterback – Oklahoma – The Sooners are the reason I thought of this section for this column because of Baker Mayfield and Kyler Murray and their back-to-back Heisman Trophies. Spencer Rattler is a five-star recruit and Jalen Hurts will likely have a big season. Quarterbacks hoping to put up big numbers are looking at Oklahoma.

Running Back – Georgia Nick Chubb and Sony Michel help in the pros not to mention a guy named Todd Gurley, but the recruiting at running back has simply been ridiculous as well at Georgia. The Bulldogs can go into any state and pull a four- or five-star out, that’s how they are rolling at running back these days.

Wide Receiver – Clemson – Wait, not Oklahoma? Didn’t the Sooners just land three five-star wide receivers in one class? Yes, they did, but Clemson has been recruiting at a ridiculous level at wide receiver longer and boast NFL and college stars. Justyn Ross is just the latest in a string of superstar receivers and Tee Higgins is the next one off to the NFL to be a star.

Tight End – IowaOle Miss, Alabama, Miami and others have done a nice job with tight ends but Iowa is the clear pick since the Hawkeyes will likely send two tight ends – T.J. Hockenson and Noah Fant – in the first round of the NFL Draft.

Offensive Line – Notre DameRonnie Stanley, Quenton Nelson, Mike McGlinchey and the Fighting Irish's recruiting at the position continues to be off the hook. Alabama, Texas A&M and some others could also make a case, but Notre Dame is killing it right now along the offensive line.

Defensive Line – Clemson – Three first-rounders this year? It could happen and Xavier Thomas could be better than any of them. Clemson’s 2020 recruiting at the position will be off the hook as well.

Linebacker – AlabamaLSU was under consideration here, as were others like Georgia, but Alabama continues to churn out first- and second-round linebackers and recruits the position at an elite level. Alabama could be on the list for any position but linebacker stands out to me.

Defensive Back – LSU – I’m not saying LSU is DBU, that’s a debate for another time, but with Derek Stingley Jr. choosing LSU, Greedy Williams likely to be the first cornerback taken and Patrick Peterson one of the top corners in the NFL, the recent results are hard to argue with. Oh yeah, and there’s Grant Delpit, the next star who’s already one of the best in the country.

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