2010 Pac-10 Football Recruiting Roundup

The fertile fields of California drive recruiting on the West Coast and the Class of 2010 is particularly bountiful for our friends in the Pacific Time Zone. The Pac Ten’s recruiting haul this year is quite strong and the league is one of the most highly thought of by recruiting experts.

The Pac Ten brought in 222 recruits for a national runner up 3.154 league wide composite star rating. Here are the teams, ranked in order by their Average Star Rating (ASR).

• Southern California Trojans, 19 commitments, Average Star Rating: 4.10

The Trojans were rocked by the sudden departure of legendary coach Pete Carroll but it was a real credit to the existing class and the new coaching staff that the Class of 2010 was not only saved but improved upon despite the turmoil. USC boasts the highest ASR in the entire country and are more than 3/5 of a star ahead of the league’s 2 nd place team, archrival UCLA. USC brought in seven Consensus 150 recruits and 13 Top 150 signees overall, giving Lane Kiffin an amazing start to his tenure in Los Angeles.

• UCLA Bruins, 22 commitments, Average Star Rating: 3.530

Across town in Westwood, Rick Neuheisel has been a constant presence in recruiting since his arrival two years ago. The Bruins fired perhaps their biggest salvo yet at the Trojan juggernaut with the country’s 7 th best ASR and this 22 man class is exceptional. Featuring four Consensus 150 recruits and 9 Top 150 players overall, UCLA should find its way towards the top of the conference standings in the very near future.

• California Golden Bears, 19 commitments, Average Star Rating: 3.438

Cal’s class is nothing short of a shocking success. While Jeff Tedford has brought in a lot of talent during his reign in Berkeley, this class is undoubtedly his most touted haul yet. Tied with Georgia for the nation’s 11 th highest ASR, this class is highlighted by three Consensus 150 players (including the Signing Day turn of former Alabama commit Keenan Allen) and five Top 150 players overall. This class could be the group that eventually helps Tedford break through and finally win a Pac Ten title.

• Oregon Ducks, 23 commitments, Average Star Rating: 3.289

While we are on the topic of major recruiting successes, Oregon’s class has been touted as nothing less than the best class in the school’s entire history. While I won’t go so far as to parrot that belief, there is no question that Chip Kelly has brought in an amazing haul. Three Consensus 150 prospects highlight a class that includes five Top 150 players and the Ducks’ ASR is the nation’s 14 th best. Coming off of their first conference title in a decade, Oregon is positioned to continue its recent success in the future.

• Stanford Cardinal, 22 commitments, Average Star Rating: 3.113

Jim Harbaugh has brought a lot of talent in to Stanford this season. His 24 th ranked ASR is highlighted by the signatures for four Top 150 players and continued Harbaugh’s trend of beating out ‘name’ schools for elite prospects. This is a very strong class and Stanford needs to do everything that they can to hold on to their head coach in the coming years.

• Washington Huskies, 30 commitments, Average Star Rating: 3.055

Steve Sarkisian promised to upgrade the talent level in Seattle when he took over last year and this class is a huge step in the right direction. Featuring by far the most players in the conference, UW’s 30 man class includes four Top 150 players and should be a major force in returning the Huskies to contention in the upcoming years. If this is indicative of Sark’s future recruiting hauls, Husky fans should be ecstatic.

• Arizona Wildcats, 23 commitments, Average Star Rating: 2.946

After one of the most successful years on the field in the last two decades, Arizona has managed to bring in a solid 23 man class that barely fell below the 3.00 ASR threshold. Highlighted by Rivals 150 safety Marquis Flowers, Arizona’s collection of talent is a good haul that should contribute towards keeping the Wildcats in the postseason picture.

• Arizona State Sun Devils, 27 commitments, Average Star Rating: 2.870

After a disappointing year on the field, Dennis Erickson knew he needed a major infusion of talent. That class fits the bill, featuring six JUCO prospects, the most highly touted of whom is OL Bryce Schwab, who was bound for USC before Pete Carroll’s departure. Expect this strong group to produce plenty of contributors in the future.

• Oregon State Beavers , 16 commitments, Average Star Rating: 2.781

I’m a little flummoxed at Oregon State’s continued struggles on the recruiting trail. This is a team that has finished among the top three in the Pac Ten in each of the last four years but is still somehow unable to bring in a solid class? I know Mike Riley is renowned for his ability to coach his players up but bringing in the 2 nd lowest ASR in the league while snaring the conference’s smallest class is pretty tough to take.

• Washington State Cougars, 22 commitments, Average Star Rating: 2.575

The Cougars are still in the process of rebuilding a program that has been abysmal in recent years. While this class has the lowest ASR in the league, there are still reasons for optimism. The most highly touted player in this group is linebacker C.J. Mizell, who committed to Florida State in 2009 before having to take an extra year to improve his academics. You don’t often have a four star linebacker fall into your lap and Mizell could be an immediate contributor in Pullman.

Overall, the Pac Ten put together a really strong year in recruiting. Five teams are ranked in the top 25 in the country in ASR, 17 Consensus 150 prospects chose to ply their wares in the Pac Ten and 41 Top 150 players overall signed Letters of Intent. Even better is that while the league certainly has some firepower headed to Los Angeles, there is excellent depth throughout the rest of the league in the Class of 2010. The Pac Ten can confidently proclaim that they’ve brought in some of the country’s best talent this year and the league should continue to be one of the most exciting to watch in the entire country.

SUPERLATIVES

Most Surprising (Best): California Golden Bears

A Signing Day coup took a class that was already excellent and made it exceptional. As mentioned above, the defection of safety Keenan Allen from Alabama was a huge ‘get’ for the Bears. However, Allen brought three other strong prospects with him, including star defensive ends Chris McCain and Gabe King, pushing Cal ahead of Oregon for the most pleasantly surprising class in the Pac Ten.

Most Surprising (Worst): Oregon State Beavers

Like I said before, Oregon State has finished in the top three in this league in four consecutive years. That means that putting together this type of class simply shouldn’t happen! While this group is disappointing, the good news is that the quality of the league’s recruiting from top to bottom has Oregon State finishing lower than it would in any other conference in the country.

Worst Class Overall: Washington State Cougars

While I think the Cougars put together a decent class, there’s no real debate on this one. Their ASR is nearly a quarter star lower than 9 th place Oregon State’s and their class only has two players who were assigned a four star rating by any of the recruiting services. That’s the lowest in the conference. In the end, Wazzou has the 7 th lowest ASR among BCS conference teams and that’s not going to get it done if they ever want to become competitive again in the Pac Ten.

Best Class Overall: Southern California Trojans

This one isn’t even up for debate. USC’s class has the country’s highest ASR and compares favorably with Texas and Florida’s classes. The only reason that USC is not being chosen as the outright #1 class is because they only garnered 19 recruits, six less than Texas and nine less than Florida. However, recruiting is an inexact science so by saying all three teams are the clear choices as the nation’s top three classes I’m really saying that all three hit the jackpot in 2010.

Matt Baxendell is collegesports-fans.com’s football writer. If you want to get in touch with him, email him at Matt.Baxendell@gmail.com or follow him on Twitter @MattBaxendell