Pac-12 recruiting: Utah lands a Wilson, Oregon’s second QB, Colorado’s big visit and ASU’s regional push

The Hotline is delighted to provide Pac-12 fans with a weekly dive into the recruiting process through the eyes and ears of Brandon Huffman, the Seattle-based national recruiting editor for 247Sports.

The following report was provided to the Hotline on May 25 …

And on the fourth try, Utah finally lands itself a Wilson brother.

Quarterback Isaac Wilson, the youngest of the four Wilsons, announced his commitment to the Utes on Wednesday night.

Zach Wilson’s recruitment was well documented. He committed to Boise State and was never offered a scholarship by Utah, which instead signed Jack Tuttle.

Of course, Zach Wilson would transfer to Brigham Young and become the No. 2 pick in the NFL Draft.

The other two brothers, Josh and Micah, both linebackers, played at Brigham Young.

But the fourth, Isaac, a four-star prospect from Corner Canyon High School in Draper, Utah, is set to play for coach Kyle Whittingham’s program. His father, Mike, played on the defensive line for Utah in the 1990s.

This is a significant win for the Utes. A lot of schools in the Pac-12 were after Isaac Wilson. A lot of national programs were after him, too. But the Utes finally have another Wilson, three decades after their dad played there.

*** Wilson wasn’t the only quarterback prospect who committed to a Pac-12 school this week. Oregon grabbed its second quarterback, as we predicted. Michael Van Buren carries a four-star rating from the 247Sports composite. The Baltimore product is the No. 11 quarterback in the class and committed to the Ducks just a couple weeks after they grabbed three-star passer Luke Moga.

In an era when quarterback commitments are hard to get, and when it’s even more difficult to land two commitments — and to get them this early in the recruiting cycle — Oregon has pulled it off. That’s a nice tandem for coach Dan Lanning and offensive coordinator Will Stein.

*** Van Buren was one of three prospects who committed to Oregon over the previous week. Another was Xadavien Sims, a four-star defensive lineman who’s the No. 2 player in the state of Oklahoma. He spurned the Sooners and several other schools to head west and play for the Ducks.

Oregon’s other commitment is four-star receiver Dillon Gresham, from San Jacinto, California.

Currently, the Ducks have the top class in the Pac-12 and the No. 6 class in the country. Of the 14 committed prospects, 11 carry four-star ratings.

*** Oregon and Utah weren’t the only schools to secure commitments.

Arizona State landed Albert Smith, a three-star linebacker out of Louisiana who’s a nice pickup for first-year coach Kenny Dillingham. The Sun Devils will host the No. 1 player in Nevada this weekend, Elija Lofton, a four-star tight end from powerhouse Bishop Gorman. That comes one week after they had the No. 2 player in the state of Hawaii on campus, Anelu Lafaele, a four-star edge rusher.

So ASU is starting to build momentum. Of their five commitments in the class of 2024, the Sun Devils have three players from Texas, one from Arizona and Smith, from Louisiana. They are clearly focusing on the Southwest.

*** UCLA landed a pair of commitments, both from the state of Washington. On Saturday, they grabbed three-star offensive tackle Marquise Thorpe-Taylor, who had planned to visit Stanford, USC, Oregon and Washington in June but decided to shut down his recruitment and go with the Bruins. They also landed Isaiah Patterson, a three-star linebacker and the No. 11 player in the state.

*** Elsewhere around the Pac-12, Colorado welcomed one of the premier junior college players in the country in Demetrius Freeney, a cornerback out of the College of San Mateo, the defending national champion. Freeney was a high school quarterback who transitioned to cornerback and is strongly considering Colorado.

The Buffaloes must watch him visit Oklahoma this weekend, then Houston and Louisville. Because he’s a full qualifier out of high school, Freeney will sign this spring after his visits and then will enroll this summer.