Roundup: Breaking down the Pac-12 picture from Early Signing Period
College Football's Early Signing Period began on Wednesday with more than 200 signees joining Pac-12 teams. The Pac-12 Network squad worked dawn till dusk (and beyond) to provide comprehensive coverage of all 12 teams, so have a scroll on the 2018 Early Signing Period page if you haven't already.
Oregon won the so-called recruiting title for the Pac-12, pulling a class ranked fifth in the nation by 247Sports. Andrew Nemec of The Oregonian provides his grades per position group here.
The always-quotable Herm Edwards dropped a new word into the football recruiting lexicon Wednesday afternoon -- Mandrake. As in, the mythical creature featured on a Jimi Hendrix poster, the Arizona Republic's Jeff Metcalfe surmises. The beast is shredded, winged and surrounded by flames. Isn't he just describing N'Keal Harry?
Utah landed yet another punter from Australia on Wednesday, writes the Deseret News' Jody Genessy. Ben Lennon is a former Australian rules football player who will have four years of eligibility with the Utes, meaning Salt Lake City will have a punter from down under through 2021.
Totally tooting my own horn here, but you'll want to check out this quick post on Stanford signee Branson Bragg. The four-star center is prolific in snap counts and eight counts.
Great insight here from Seattle Times columnist Matt Calkin on what's most impressive about Chris Petersen's recruiting classes.
Colorado freshman guard Cameron Swartz is coming back stronger than ever from a heart procedure. Thanks to BuffZone.com's Brian Howell for the encouraging story.
USCfootball.com of the 247Sports network put out a list of superlatives for the Pac-12 following the start of the Early Signing Period and dubbed Washington State's class the "Sleeper Class" of the conference.
In case you missed it in the madness of signing day coverage, Arizona quarterback Khalil Tate has opted to return to Tucson for his senior season. The Arizona Daily Star's Michael Lev has the details.
As the Wildcats retain their quarterback, the Golden Bears lose one of theirs: Ross Bowers is one of seven players opting to leave the Cal program, according to Rusty Simmons of The San Francisco Chronicle. Bowers started all 12 games in his sophomore season but did not have the same playing time this year as a junior.
No one-year wonders for Jonathan Smith's program, writes The Oregonian's Bob Lundeberg. Read up on the 15 incomers from the first day of the Early Signing Period, complete with thoughts from the head coach for each player.
USC football coach Clay Helton joined Mike Yam, Yogi Roth and Evan Moore on the air Wednesday to discuss the start of his 2019 class and how he plans to uphold the Trojans' history of excellence.
Cheers to UCLA midfielder Frankie Amaya, who was voted to College Soccer News' All-Freshman second team. The honors just keep piling up.