Pac-12 Football Review: USC NSD Fail, Donte Williams, NFL Combine Invites

Pac-12 Football Review: USC NSD Fail, Donte Williams, NFL Combine Invites

USC’s Poor National Signing Day Highlights it’s Pac-12 Football Recruiting

Last Wednesday, National Signing Day came and left. While there wasn’t much Pac-12 football activity, Colorado kept its guy. That is to say, Ashaad Clayton signed with Colorado.

And all Buffaloes sighed.

Certainly, the four-star running back out of New Orleans is a great addition. With that signing, Colorado made a big move. It showed its school is doing the work.

However, the program that needed to make the biggest leap failed miserably.

So many Pac-12 football programs brought it this offseason. Utah and Arizona State made huge strides. Meanwhile, USC fell. Firstly, USC boasts (if that word can be used) just 13 three-five star recruits for 2020.

  • Two four-star recruits
  • 11 three-star recruits

In short, their 2020 recruiting is dismal.

When compared to Pac-12 football programs, USC’s 2020 class ranks 10th. Just above Washington State and Arizona. Overall, USC’s distressing 2020 class is outside of the top-50 in college football. Their 55th-ranked class is completely pitiful. Especially considering their 2019 feats:

  • 8 wins, 5 losses
  • 32.5 points per game
  • Holiday Bowl berth
  • Breakout true-freshman Kedon Slovis

This was a huge alarm for the Trojans. But thankfully, USC stole Donte Williams away from Oregon.

Pac-12 Top-Recruiter Donte Williams Heads to USC

Unfortunately, cornerbacks coach Donte Williams’ move to USC was not because of football. As seen from his Tweet, it’s a move to his “father’s aging/failing health”. Family first. Respect.

Though is move to USC is family-driven, Williams is still a gift for their program. Prior to this news, USC recruiting was in free-fall. They were 10th in the Pac-12. Barely ahead of Washington State. That’s not acceptable for their program. So, they need to treat Williams as best as they can. During his short time with Oregon, he’s ranked:

  • 5th-best recruiter in Pac-12 in 2019 class
    • 62nd-best in nation
  • Best recruiter in Pac-12 in 2020 class
    • 7th-best in nation

Understanding that, this move is incredible for USC. They needed him bad. With his recruiting, he’ll become instrumental in their success. Certainly, Williams will be missed in Oregon. But for USC, he’s their savior.

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2020 NFL Combine Pac-12 Football Participants

On Friday, the NFL released its full list of 2020 NFL Scouting Combine invites. Of the 337 prospects invited, here are the Pac-12 football players:

Arizona (1 invite)

  • J.J. Taylor, Running Back

Arizona State (4 invites)

  • Brandon Aiyuk, Wide Receiver
  • Eno Benjamin, Running Back
  • Cohl Cabral, Offensive Line
  • Michael Turk, Punter

Cal (3 invites)

  • Ashtyn Davis, Defensive Back
  • Jaylinn Hawkins, Defensive Back
  • Evan Weaver, Line Backer

Colorado (4 invites)

  • Tony Brown, Wide Receiver
  • Steven Montez, Quarterback
  • Laviska Shenault Jr., Wide Receiver
  • Davion Taylor, Line Backer

Oregon (7 invites)

  • Jacob Breeland, Tight End
  • Troy Dye, Line Backer
  • Jake Hanson, Offensive Line
  • Justin Herbert, Quarterback
  • Juwan Johnson, Wide Receiver
  • Shane Lemieux, Offensive Line
  • Calvin Throckmorton, Offensive Line

Oregon State (2 invites)

  • Isaiah Hodgins, Wide Receiver
  • Jake Luton, Quarterback

Stanford (2 invites)

  • Colby Parkinson, Tight End
  • Casey Toohill, Line Backer

UCLA (4 invites)

  • Devin Asiasi, Tight End
  • Darney Holmes, Defensive Back
  • Joshua Kelley, Running Back
  • JJ Molson, Kicker

USC (2 invites)

  • Austin Jackson, Offensive Line
  • Michael Pittman, Wide Receiver

Utah (9 invites)

  • Bradlee Anae, Defensive Line
  • Francis Bernard, Line Backer
  • Julian Blackmon, Defensive Back
  • Terrell Burgess, Defensive Back
  • Leki Fotu, Defensive Line
  • Javelin K. Guidry, Defensive Back
  • Jaylon Johnson, Defensive Back
  • Zack Moss, Running Back
  • John Penisini, Defensive Line

Washington (7 invites)

  • Trey Adams, Offensive Line
  • Salvon Ahmed, Running Back
  • Hunter Bryant, Tight End
  • Myles Bryant, Defensive Back
  • Jacob Eason, Quarterback
  • Aaron Fuller, Wide Receiver
  • Nick Harris, Offensive Line

Washington State (2 invites)

  • Anthony Gordon, Quarterback
  • Dezmon Patmon, Wide Receiver

Somehow, Utah leads the way in combine invites for Pac-12 football programs. As a result, their school gained instant respect. Their school-record nine combine invites is great for their program’s recruiting. But, it’s a tough task to replace.

“It is not hard to figure out why we were formidable on defense this past year and why we had statistically one of the best defenses we have ever had at Utah,” said head coach Kyle Whittingham. “It is going to be a big challenge replacing those guys.”

Deseret News

Apart from a lackluster finish, Utah played well in 2019. As a result, they nearly made the College Football Playoffs. Or, at least they were in the discussion. These nine combine invites were a large part of their winning. In other words, it’s a big loss to the program.

Nevertheless, Utah is upping their recruiting game by leading the Pac-12 in combine invites.

Colorado’s Mel Tucker Calms Anxious Fans

Last Tuesday, Mark Dantonio retired after 13 seasons as Michigan State’s head coach. It was reported that Cincinnati’s Luke Fickell and Colorado’s Mel Tucker were those interviewing.

Although it was Tucker’s first season ever as a head coach, no program wants to lose their H.C. Furthermore, no program wants to lose their coach after the coaching carousel already hired the most qualified candidates. Consequently, it’s not the best time to hire.

But, Tucker made sure to raise the spirits of the Colorado program, its players and its fans.

https://twitter.com/Coach_mtucker/status/1226230203451465728?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1226230203451465728&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fdenver.cbslocal.com%2F2020%2F02%2F08%2Fmel-tucker-colorado-buffaloes-michigan-state-spartans-mike-dantonio-ncaa-football-head-coach%2F

Arizona State Close to Adding Robert Rodriguez as D-Line Coach

Reportedly, the Arizona State Sundevils are reportedly close to signing Robert Rodriguez as defensive line coach. Because of Jamar Cain’s departure, Rodriguez is a big hire.

Rodriguez just completed his fifth year with the Vikings. During that time, he worked closely with Vikings defensive line coach Andre Patterson. They utilized aggressive schemes for playmakers Daniel Hunter and Everson Griffen. As a result of his NFL experience, Rodriguez is a sound hire. Above all, Rodriguez will be paid to bring defensive pressure.

Unfortunately, Cain left behind more than defensive coaching. Jamar Cain is considered one of the best recruiting coaches. Losing him hurt. But, Rodriguez coached for UTEP from 2008 to 2014. So, at least he does understand how collegiate coaching and recruiting works. Both as a player and a coach.

Pac-12 Football Review: Oregon leads 2020 recruiting, BYU Games, KJ Costello

Pac-12 Football Review: Oregon leads 2020 recruiting, BYU Games, KJ Costello

Oregon Ducks Holding onto Pac-12 Football Recruiting Dominance

247Sports Composite Pac-12 Football Team Rankings

With just one day away from National Signing Day, the Oregon Ducks remain at the top of Pac-12 football. Their 2020 class is highlighted by three five-star recruits:

  • Justin Flowe, ILB
  • Noah Sewell, ILB
  • Dontae Manning, CB

With a 247 Composite score of 256.52, Oregon’s recruiting also ranks 12th in the nation. The Ducks are riding high in their ability to gain quality commits. Oregon is a force and consistently competes. Their staff does an excellent job at scouting, recruiting and developing players.

Not too far behind, Washington’s nine four-star recruits raise them to near-Oregon status. Although they don’t have the five-star recruits the Ducks have, they certainly bolstered their team with an impressive amount of talent.

USC Needs to Make Moves

But, we already know that Washington and Oregon are currently the programs to beat in recruiting power. The big surprise is USC. After ranking 3rd in Pac-12 football and 20th in the nation, they fell hard in 2020. Currently, USC ranks 10th in the Pac-12 Conference and 52nd nationally. If they want to build a team around Sophomore Kedon Slovis, they need to gain 2020 commits.

Stanford Adds Four Games to their BYU Football Series

https://twitter.com/BYUfootball/status/1222572467178237952
  • November 28th, 2026
  • November 25th, 2028
  • August 30th, 2031
  • September 1st, 2035

In the 2020’s, Stanford faces off against BYU six times. Surprisingly, they only have five games against Utah in the same decade. Yes, Utah is in-conference. However, this BYU series is extremely important to Stanford and the Pac-12.

With regard to the Pac-12 football conference, BYU adds a lot of value. Because they are an independent school, programs like Stanford can fill in gaps in the late season with a solid competitor. In the past 15 years, BYU has 13 winning seasons and only one losing season. Additionally, they ranked in the AP-25 polls 8 times, twice in the top-10. It’s a solid football program.

Because Pac-12 football routinely earns little respect from other conferences, regular matchups (and wins) against BYU will help this. Our conference desperately needs appreciation.

Stanford Graduate K.J. Costello Transfers Joins Mike Leach at Mississippi State

Even though Mike Leach departed the Pac-12, he managed to bring grad-transfer, K.J. Costello, with him. In three seasons and 29 games, Costello compiled:

  • 6,151 Passing Yards
  • 49 Touchdowns
  • 18 Interceptions
  • 143.8 Quarterback Rating
  • 62.6-Percent Completion Percentage

It’s a known quantity that Mike Leach’s Air Raid Offense is extremely quarterback friendly. Nabbing a veteran quarterback like Costello is an excellent transfer for Mississippi State’s depth.

Arizona State’s Defensive Line Coach Jamar Cain Departs for Oklahoma

Losing Jamar Cain is a big one for Arizona State. Cain, in just one season with Arizona State, improved them drastically. Most notably, Cain’s recruiting lifted the program higher. He is responsible for recruiting Daniyel Ngata, Elijhah Badger, and Omarr Norman-Lott.

Because of his abilities, he was considered the fifth-best recruiter in the Pac-12. Thankfully for ASU, they at least got one year out of him. But, Arizona State is going to miss him. Great signing for Oklahoma. Big loss for the Sun Devils.

Pac-12 Football Review: Three Pac-12 Teams Send Offers to Clay Millen

Pac-12 Football Review: Senior Bowl, Clay Millen Offers, Todd Orlando

Pac-12 Football Players Light up the Senior Bowl

First off, before any other news is commented on, first look at Eric Bean’s 2020 Senior Bowl Review. In it, he goes into great detail on each Pac-12 football player and how they performed. Spoiler alert: they shined!

https://unafraidshow.com/pac-12-players-perform-well-at-the-2020-senior-bowl/

Multiple Pac-12 Football Programs Vie for Clay Millen

After Oregon State’s latest offer, Clay Millen now holds offers from Arizona, Oregon, Oregon State, UNLV. After sitting his freshman and sophomore year, Millen produced a fantastic junior season.

  • 256 completions on 360 attempts
  • 3,145 passing yards
  • 34 passing touchdowns
  • 1 interception

Because of this promising junior season, the 6-foot-3 quarterback out of Snoqualmie earned 4-star ranks in recruiting.

To Pac-12 football fans, the name Millen might sound familiar. That’s because his older brother Cale Millen plays as a backup quarterback for the Oregon Ducks. Additionally, his father Hugh Millen played for the Washington Huskies and in the NFL for eight years. Because of his size, family ties and breakout junior season, Clay Millen got noticed.

With another year to strut his stuff for Mount Si, Millen is certain to earn more than just Pac-12 football interest. However, we desperately want him to stay in the Pac-12.

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Gerald Alexander Leaves Cal, Golden Bears Sign Marcel Yates

Losing Gerald Alexander is a huge loss for the Cal Golden Bears. In three seasons as Cal’s defensive backs coach, he was pivotal in their defensive success. Alexander’s defensive backs rose to elite with his excellent coaching and leadership. Per calbears.com, Cal’s 2018 defense was top-ten in the nation in:

  • Interceptions
  • Defensive touchdowns
  • Turnovers gained
  • Passing yards allowed.

Among those stats, Alexander’s defensive backs accounted for:

  • 17 of 21 interceptions
  • 3 of 5 defensive touchdowns
  • 3 of 7 fumbles recovered

Thankfully, Cal hired Marcel Yates (recently fired Arizona Wildcats defensive coordinator) as defensive backs coach. Somehow, they talked Marcel Yates to be okay with a defensive assistance coach position. Now, the Bears have four coaches with defensive coordinator experience. Justin Wilcox, Tim DeRuyter, Peter Sirmon and Marcel Yates have a combined 41 years of D.C. experience. Well done Cal.

USC hires Todd Orlando as Defensive Coordinator

Recall that last week we mentioned that USC eyed Todd Orlando as their 2020 defensive coordinator. Well, now they made it official. However, Trojans need to temper expectations. Orlando is still a very speculative add. His 2019 Longhorns ranked 54th in Football Outsider’s DFEI rankings, almost matching USC’s 57th ranking. His middling 2019 defense got him fired from Texas, but his experience still got him hired for USC.

With 15 years as defensive coordinator, Orlando is known as an aggressive coach with positive influences. Hopefully, 2019 was just a blip on his career and due to the Longhorns defensive injuries. If that’s the case, USC did exceptionally well.

Keep in mind, the Trojans somehow kept Graham Harrell at Offensive Coordinator. With Kedon Slovis and Graham Harrell at the offensive helm, USC football will certainly put up points. Because of this, Orlando’s defense can afford to be risky and aggressive. It could be the perfect fit for a USC team on the rise. Be ready for a surge up the ranks as USC. Pac-12 football’s 2020 champion could very well be USC.

UCLA Athletics Rack up an 18.9-Million Dollar Deficit

As if UCLA wasn’t already at a low point in Pac-12 football, now they’re running a nearly 20-million dollar deficit. Yikes. Although they generated 108.4-million dollars in revenue, the UCLA Athletics Department ran up 127.3-million dollars in expenses. Because of this, the deficit was covered by an interest-bearing loan from central campus.

For the budget nerds out there, we’d highly recommend you read this work by Jon Wilner of Mercury News. In it, he breaks down the Bruins debt in detail, along with any solutions. The biggest solution seems to be clear for most. UCLA needs to win games.

Pac-12 Football Review: New Coaches, All-Americans, Shenault’s Agent

Pac-12 football news

Pac-12 Football doesn’t have an offseason

Although the Pac-12 football season is over, the offseason is just as important. Unafraidshow’s Pac-12 Football Review updates everyone on the biggest stories of each week of the Pac-12 football offseason.

Recruits, transfers, coaching changes and returning players drastically change next year’s landscape. Which players are leaving for the NFL draft? Who are the newest coaches or recruits? What news is the most important or compelling from each program?

The Biggest News Around the Pac-12, Program by Program

Arizona: The Wildcats hire Andy Buh as OLB coach

With 22 years of collegiate coaching experience, Andy Buh adds leadership and knowledge to the Wildcats defense. Most recently, Buh was defensive coordinator for Rutgers in 2019 and Maryland from 2016 to 2018. In his decades of coaching, he mainly spent time as defensive coordinator or linebackers coach. Pac-12 fans should remember him from his days with Jim Harbaugh at Stanford. The signing of Buh will round out a new Arizona coaching staff after Marcel Yates and Iona Uiagalelei were both fired.

Arizona State: Herm Edwards gets two-year extension

In his first two years as a Pac-12 football coach, Herm Edwards is 15 and 11 with two bowl game appearances. His collegiate success with Arizona State surprised many. While his 7 and 6 2018 season was a good start, he put his faith in freshman Jayden Daniels . Many coaches overlook 175lb freshman quarterbacks. But, Edwards displayed excellent coaching instincts and uncovered a Pac-12 Star. Daniels’ led the Sun Devils to a huge victory over the Oregon Ducks. If Arizona State and Edwards continue to find success in recruiting and personnel management, the Sun Devils will make a run for the title soon enough.

Cal: Golden Bears name Angus McClure Offensive Line Coach

Most recently, Angus McClure aided the Nevada Wolf Pack to back-to-back bowl games. His offensive lineman in 2018 allowed just 1.31 (18th in FBS) sacks per game. Adding McClure to the coaching staff should aid UCLA’s 64th-ranked offensive line.

With 28 years of experience, including a decade with UCLA, Angus McClure is also known for his excellent recruiting. He understands the west coast and the Pac-12. UCLA needs any help they can get and landed an excellent coaching piece.

Colorado: Laviska Shenault signs with Rich Paul and Klutch Sports Group

After a breakout 2018 season and lesser, but still explosive, 2019 campaign, Laviska Shenault is headed to the NFL Draft. On Wednesday, Shenault signed with Klutch Sports Group, founded by Rich Paul. Paul and Kultch Sports represent NBA stars LeBron James, Anthony Davis, Draymond Green, and many more. Currently, they only represent Alvin Kamara, Melvin Gordon and Jarvis Landry in the NFL. So, Shenault is joining impressive company. He joins Chase Young and Jeffrey Okudah as Klutch Sports’ potential draftees.

Oregon: The Ducks keep four more juniors

In excellent news for the Rose Bowl champs, four NFL Draft eligible juniors announced a 2020 return. Thomas Graham, Deommodore Lenior, Jordon Scott, and Austin Davis want one more season with the Ducks. This decision is huge for the Ducks’ 2020 defense. They finished the 2019 season ranked as No.6 in the nation, per footballoutsiders. Retaining these four junior cornerbacks and defensive lineman likely frustrated the Pac-12 competition.

Oregon State

In great luck for the Beavers, both Addison Gumbs and Jeromy Reichner were awarded an NCAA extension. Neither made an impression in the 2019 Pac-12 football season. Reichner missed all of 2019, while Gumbs played just a game and a half. with the adjustment, Gumbs will be a redshirt sophomore in 2020. With the extensions, Oregon State can bolster its 2020 defense and try for a better season.

Stanford: Paulson Adebo stays another year

Surprising to many, cornerback Paulson Adebo decided to stay another year. Walter Football had him ranked as the fourth-best cornerback headed into the NFL Draft. Additionally, per ProFootballFocus had him in their Top-11 Big Board. Adebo displayed great cornerback skills and was a sure-tackler for Stanford in 2018 and 2019. With a return to action in 2020, he’ll look to perfect his defensive abilities and move up the 2021 draft board.

UCLA: Vince Oghobaase is likely leaving

Although not finalized, Vince Oghobaase is expected to head to Boston College. But, that might not be the worst thing. Every college football fan knows that the 2019 UCLA defense was horrid. They let opponents roll up 34.8 points per game (116th in the nation). So, while losing a defensive line coach to another program sounds bad, it opens up the possibility for better recruiting and player development.

USC: Kedon Slovis named FWAA Freshman All-American

While the Pac-12 is losing many big-named quarterbacks to the 2020 NFL Draft, young stars like Kedon Slovis and Jayden Daniels are the future of the Pac-12 football. Slovis is the first freshman since Sam Darnold to be named FWAA Freshman All-American. However, Slovis earned that title as a true freshman. He is the first true freshman in USC history to gain that honor. His 3,505 passing yards, 30-to-9 touchdown-to-interception ratio and 71.9-percent completion percentage were outstanding. Slovis is primed for 2020.

Utah: Leki Fotu is getting noticed

There isn’t much news coming out of Utah right now. But at least Leki Fotu is getting draft love. Like Paulson Adebo, defensive lineman Leki Fotu made it on PFF’s 200 Top-100 Draft Board and is ranked 91st on drafttek’s 2020 NFL Draft list.. He is the 12th-best defensive tackle, per Walter Football, and is looking like a quality defensive lineman in the 2020 draft. Pac-12 football players getting drafted is always important for our programs.

Washington: Huskies hire Offensive Coordinator John Donovan

In a peculiar move, the Washington Huskies hired John Donovan as their new offensive coordinator. Donovan, spending his last four years as a Jacksonville Jaguars’ offensive quality control coach, hasn’t been an O.C. since 2014 for Penn State. Additionally, the year after Donovan was fired in Penn State, they went on to win the Big 10 Championship.

After the 2019 season, the Huskies had a huge coaching void. Chris Petersen stepped down and the Dawgs fired Bush Hamden and Jordan Paopao. So, with promoting defensive coordinator Jimmy Lake to head coach, it made it even more important for a quality offensive coordinator. They went with Donovan, who has a lot of question marks and concerns.

Washington State: Mike Leach leaves for Mississippi State

https://unafraidshow.com/mike-leach-heads-to-mississippi-state-what-does-it-mean-for-leach-and-wsu/

As noted by our own article, Mike Leach left the Pac-12 for the SEC. Read the above article for the full breakdown.