USC football coach Lincoln Riley looks on against Stanford at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum in Los Angeles on Saturday, September 9, 2023. (Photo by Keith Birmingham, Pasadena Star-News/ SCNG)
The Hotline is delighted to provide Pac-12 fans with a regular dive into the recruiting process through the eyes and ears of Brandon Huffman, the Seattle-based national recruiting editor for 247Sports. He submitted the following report on April 4 …
USC stays hot
A week after landing a trio of Top247 prospects in the prep class of 2025, the Trojans continued their torrid start to the recruiting cycle.
Three more players have pledged to Lincoln Riley: a Lone Star State native and two Golden State recruits.
Much of the Trojans’ work last week was done outside of California, and that trend continued when Riley Wormley, of Southlake, Tex., announced his commitment to USC on Easter Sunday.
The run of success gained additional momentum with a huge victory courtesy of linebacker Matai Tagoa’i, who attends the same high school (San Clemente) as former Trojan quarterback Sam Darnold.
Tagoa’i is the No. 71 player nationally at any position, the No. 10 linebacker in the country and, more importantly, the No. 3 recruit in California in 2025.
A day later, another Southern California product, Upland cornerback Trestin Castro, announced for the Trojans.
The No. 34 cornerback nationally and the No. 31 prospect in the state, Castro had planned to visit Cal, Utah and Washington for officials. Instead, he jumped on USC’s offer.
ASU gets under-the-radar pickup
It’s easy for Alema Iosua to get overshadowed at Bishop Gorman High School in Las Vegas.
The Gaels are home to three All-American offensive linemen and possess arguably the top offensive line in the country.
Plus, another Gael linemen is already committed to Hawaii, in KJ Hallums.
But Iosua is a talent in his own right. While his commitment to Arizona State may have been lost in the shuffle of the holiday weekend, it’s a significant win for the Sun Devils, who need all the help they can get along the offensive line.
Iosua is a top-10 player in Nevada and key member of one of the top teams in the country. Bishop Gorman always plays a rugged non-league schedule, so he’ll be battle tested.
The 6-foot-7, 292-pounder will play tackle for Kenny Dillingham and offensive line coach Saga Tuitele.
Washington gets started in 2026
The Huskies are just getting their feet under them with first-year head coach Jedd Fisch.
They have three pledges for 2025, but they started out their 2026 recruiting cycle with a significant pickup.
While Oregon has thrived in the Evergreen State in recent years, the Huskies changed the plot by heading into the Beaver State for their first pledge. It comes from Ansu Sanoe, the No. 1 recruit in Oregon in 2026.
The two-way standout out of Lakeridge High School in Lake Oswego is an elite athlete and top-100 player nationally.
Washington projects him as a running back. Assistant Scottie Graham, who had recruited Sanoe when he was on Fisch’s staff at Arizona, ran point on Sanoe’s recruitment.
*** Send suggestions, comments and tips (confidentiality guaranteed) to pac12hotline@bayareanewsgroup.com or call 408-920-5716
*** Follow Huffman on Twitter/X via @BrandonHuffman and support @AveryStrongDIPG
*** Follow Wilner on Twitter/X: @WilnerHotline
*** Pac-12 Hotline is not endorsed or sponsored by the Pac-12 Conference, and the views expressed herein do not necessarily reflect the views of the Conference.
Originally published at Jon Wilner