College football recruiting: Oregon bounces back, awaiting the Lyons decisions and big wins in L.A.

The Hotline is delighted to provide West Coast 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 June 20 …

Down the stretch we come

While the early signing period is still five months away, the new reality in college football suggests the first week of July might as well be the signing period.

Realistically, schools will have 95 percent of their recruiting classes wrapped by that time.

That makes this weekend so crucial: It’s the final chance for official visits until the fall, and the NCAA’s recruiting dead period begins on Monday.

There’s no recruiting, on or off campus, until the opening weekend of the season.

Leaving on a Jett plane

Oregon has experienced a roller-coaster spring with recruiting, both with losing some commitments and missing out on key targets.

But could the Ducks be back in business and trending up? It appears as such.

On Thursday, the No. 1 recruit in Nevada, safety Jett Washington, announced his commitment to Oregon.

There’s more to the situation than a pledge from the five-star prospect, who was hotly pursued by both USC and Alabama.

Oregon got a versatile, freaky athlete who happens to be the nephew of NBA legend Kobe Bryant. (His mother is Bryant’s older sister.)

But this could be the beginning of a big stretch for the Ducks, who are hosting the No. 2 tackle in the country (Immanuel Iheanacho), just hosted the No. 1 recruit in California (more on him in a second) and have new 2026 quarterback target Bryson Beaver, fresh off a stellar showing at the Elite 11 Finals, coming in for a visit.

Which way for Ryder?

The Golden State’s top recruit in the class of 2026 is Folsom quarterback Ryder Lyons.

The five-star passer is the fourth-ranked quarterback nationally, and he’s down to two schools: Brigham Young and Oregon.

The Ducks had him on campus last weekend for an official visit. Now, the Cougars get their shot with Lyons, a member of the Church of Latter-day Saints.

A decision is coming from Lyons on Tuesday, and it will impact the 2027 class more than 2026. Why? Because Lyons is set to serve a one-year church mission beginning in January.

But the longstanding recruitment of Lyons — he received scholarship offers in middle school — looks like it is finally coming to a conclusion in mere days.

Bruins’ burn continues

Another week, more victories for UCLA in the 2026 recruiting class.

The Bruins added four more commitments, including one player who ranks No. 1 at his position.

Sure, that player is the No. 1 long-snapper in the country, Giancarlo Cereghino. While it may not be major news, the development would have been a highlight for UCLA during the Chip Kelly era.

On Monday, the Bruins reeled in a pair of receivers from the state of Florida, Xavier Stinson and Santana Carlos. (Stinson is the teammate of UCLA’s headliner offensive recruit, four-star offensive tackle Johnnie Jones.)

But the big one this week was four-star defensive lineman David Schwerzel, the No. 2 recruit from Washington.

Schwerzel joins the Bruins class one week after the No. 3 recruit in the Evergreen State, Ramzak Fruean, committed to UCLA. That marks two significant wins for Bruin defensive coordinator Ikaika Malloe against the school he played for and coached with, Washington. The Huskies wanted both Fruean and Schwerzel to stay in-state.

Trojans stay on top

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Although UCLA’s hot, USC maintained its hold on the top class in Los Angeles, and for that matter, the Big Ten and the country.

The Trojans went to the East Coast — to New Jersey, specifically — to land the top prospect in the Garden State, edge rusher Luke Wafle. They beat Penn State and Ohio State for his commitment.

That came days after the Trojans secured the No. 1 recruit in Hawaii: Linebacker Talanoa Ili picked USC over UCLA.

While losing five-star targets Jett Washington (to Oregon) and Brandon Arrington (to Texas A&M), the Trojans’ class still sits atop the 247Sports Team Rankings.

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