ESPN Pac-10 Blog

Posted by ESPN.com's Ted Miller

Part 2 of a discussion of Pac-10 recruiting.

After ESPN.com recruiting guru Tom Luginbill talked about 2008 freshmen who may make an impact, the focus turned to this recruiting season.

Got to ask about USC recruiting, which is again cruising along... True or false: USC basically gets everyone it wants on the West Coast ?
Tom Luginbill: I think that's a very accurate statement. And let me tell you what they do on the national level... they target about five to six guys nationally who they think have the potential to be NFL first-round draft choices and they go after them hard just like they would a kid in the state of California.

Why are Pete Carroll and his staff so good at getting these guys?
TL: With Pete, he's such an energetic, upbeat guy who has a real ability to relate to the younger student-athlete -- way more so than he did with the professional athlete who is a grown man. When you can get that kid and what I can the decision maker -- the mother, father, aunt or uncle -- to form that bond and friendship, there's a trust that develops there and then the young man feels, 'Hey, I can hang with this guy.' I think that is kind of the mindset he's created.

Any early indications of what Rick Neuheisel's impact will be recruiting at UCLA?
TL: I think he's had a significant impact, particularly at the quarterback position. The commitment they've got now, Richard Brehaut, I think he is, potentially, one of the top two or three quarterbacks in this entire class. He's really good. He's kind of come out of nowhere but I think he's a [offensive coordinator] Norm Chow type of guy. I think with Chow and Neuheisel, you're going to see some offensive personnel give UCLA a longer thought. Now, the best thing they ever did was keep [defensive coordinator] DeWayne Walker... When the coaching change happened [from Karl Dorrell to Neuheisel], we were down at our All-Star game and every kid that we asked what they were going to do if UCLA went another direction said, 'If DeWayne Walker is not made the head coach or kept on the staff, I'm de-committing.' I think that was a huge coaching move on Neuheisel's part to retain him.

What about the two coaches on the hot seat: Arizona's Mike Stoops and Washington's Tyrone Willingham - How has their recruiting been affected by their precarious status?
TL: Neither program is one that will be reeling in early verbal commitments anyway. The best thing Stoops has done -- and we'll see if it pans out -- is they've gotten back into California, hardcore. That's how [former Arizona head coach] Dick Tomey got that program to national status. That's where all the players are. Same with Washington: Washington's got to get back into California. That's how [former Washington head coach] Don James did it. [As far as recruits worrying about whether one or the other will be back], I have not heard that specifically from players, but I'd say that would be the case just because there may be a lack of confidence if the guy who is recruiting you is going to be there. That's always in the back of the mind. Look at Washington: It doesn't have a [known] verbal commitment right now.

Dennis Erickson had a huge impact his first season at Arizona State on the field, are you seeing him staking a recruiting presence that could challenge USC?
TL: Without question. That is a school that should be a top-10 program, and they've hired a guy who can recruit and knows where to recruit. I think you're going to really see Arizona State skyrocket in recruiting and skyrocket on the field as well. Everywhere that guy has gone in college, he's recruited well and he's won with good players. It's only a matter of time.

Recruiting slipped in recent years at Washington State. Under Mike Price, the Cougars were good at evaluating and developing talent that other programs didn't see -- sort of like what Mike Riley does now at Oregon State. Have you seen anything from Paul Wulff to suggest he's got a plan that might work?
TL: Here's what I think they did that was real smart: They hired a Washington State guy who understands the challenges of recruiting a kid to Pullman. It's one of those schools that's a unique situation and you've got to have a coach who understands the situation. I think that is something that will end up paying dividends for them. But it's a program that isn't going to get instant impact guys. It's a program that's going to have to develop guys. You're not going to have consistent eight, nine, 10-win seasons. You might have one of those every four years. And I think that's all they're asking for with that program. They want to be competitive and get to a bowl game.

You mentioned before Stanford doing a good job recruiting. Is Stanford challenging California in the Bay Area, or is it taking a national focus as it has in the past?
TL: They are national. Their commitments right now are from Georgia, Maryland, New York, Idaho and Colorado. Only three of their nine are from California. And they've got six kids right now who are in our ESPN 150 Watch List. You know who else is doing that? All of the sudden, Oregon's become national on the recruiting front. They are getting out everywhere -- Texas, Kansas, the East Coast.