Saturday Blitz
Fansided

Pac-12 football has a major branding problem and it’s serious

By Dante Pryor

Dec 18, 2020; Los Angeles, California, USA;A general view as Oregon Ducks players take the field against the Southern California Trojans during the Pac-12 Championship at United Airlines Field at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
Dec 18, 2020; Los Angeles, California, USA;A general view as Oregon Ducks players take the field against the Southern California Trojans during the Pac-12 Championship at United Airlines Field at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
3 of 4
Next
Dec 18, 2020; Los Angeles, California, USA; Southern California Trojans wide receiver Bru McCoy (4) is defended by Oregon Ducks cornerback Mykael Wright (2) during the Pac-12 Championship at United Airlines Field at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Oregon defeated USC 31-24. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
Dec 18, 2020; Los Angeles, California, USA; Southern California Trojans wide receiver Bru McCoy (4) is defended by Oregon Ducks cornerback Mykael Wright (2) during the Pac-12 Championship at United Airlines Field at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Oregon defeated USC 31-24. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports /

Pac-12 has had problems keeping the best players in own footprint

One issue plaguing the Pac-12 is recruiting. Teams on the West Coast are just now catching up with the rest of the country with recruiting. This season, the Oregon Ducks have the highest-rated class in the Pac-12 (sixth nationally) and there’s not another Pac-12 school in the top 10. USC is the next highest-rated class at 14th.

The last cycle was even worse. The Pac-12 did not have a single class in the top 10, and only one school (Oregon) had a class in the top 20. Stanford and Arizona State each had classes in the top 25.

There used to be a time where USC had its pick of the litter in California; that is no longer the case with most elite teams recruiting nationally. Not only are the top recruits in California not choosing USC, but they are leaving the Pac-12 footprint entirely. Since 2010, the Pac-12 has lost at least one top-five recruit from California every year save one (2011).

Top players leaving California since 2010:

  • 2010: Ronald Powel, Josh Shaw (Florida)
  • 2012: Deontay Greenburry (Houston)
  • 2013: Max Redfield (Notre Dame)
  • 2014: Joe Mixon (Oklahoma)
  • 2015: Khalil McKenzie (Tennessee)
  • 2016: Jonah Williams (Alabama), Caleb Kelly (Oklahoma)
  • 2017: Najee Harris (Alabama), Wyatt Davis (Ohio State)
  • 2018: Jalen Lars-Woobey (Florida State)
  • 2019: Bru McCoy (Texas)
  • 2020: Bryce Young (Alabama), DJ Uiagalelei (Clemson), CJ Stroud (Ohio State)

The year 2020 was the worst, with the Pac-12 losing three of the top five high school players in the state. Young (the state’s top prospect), Uiagalelei and Stroud all left Pac-12 country.

What makes 2020 even worse is that those three prospects were three of the country’s top 50. California is the well of players for the Pac-12. Much like Florida, California has become one of the more competitive states in national recruiting.

California is not the only state where top national prospects have left the Pac-12 footprint. Here are some notable players from other states who left the Pac-12 footprint.

This 2021 cycle, the Pac-12 could lose two of its top five players, with Korey Foreman and J.T. Tulmoloau yet to officially announce where they signed.

Investing in football

Many programs this side of Oregon have not invested in their football programs. Until a few years ago, UCLA did not have a full-size practice field. Several schools in the conference do not have football-only facilities. USC, the marquee program on the West Coast, is just upgrading their recruiting practices. In the last two or three years, the Trojans have upgraded their social media platform and increased recruiting staff.

Many schools in the Pac-12 are as proud of their non-revenue Olympic sport championships as football. It is possible that many Pac-12 boosters do not see the importance of investing solely in football.

Home/Pac-12