MONTEREY PARK, Calif. – The first stop of the Rivals Camp Series came to Southern California this weekend as prospects from around the region – and some from outside of it – came to compete.
Here are the five teams that should be pleased, based on what recruits said and how top targets performed.
CAL
Three-straight losing seasons might turn off some West prospects to Cal, which has actually recruited decently in the Pac-12 over the last handful of years, but a lot of prospects are heavily considering the Golden Bears.
Running back commits JoJo Solis (who was an absolute monster in blocking drills) and Carter Jackson looked really good Sunday. Big back Julian McMahan from Danville (Calif.) Monte Vista would be a good counter-weight to those players and has Cal on his list. Offensive lineman Houston Kaahaaina-Torres will visit Berkeley and said the coaching staff is coming after him hard. Local recruit Champ Taulealea was also very high on the Golden Bears.
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OREGON
It seems like in the blink of an eye the Ducks have become a national recruiting powerhouse under Dan Lanning. The program is now reaching into the Midwest and the South to get elite talent. But the base of the program should always be West Coast prospects.
Oregon has become the top destination for top talent out West. Every elite prospect at the camp mentioned the Ducks recruiting them hard. Five-star running back Jordon Davison, 2026 quarterback Ryder Lyons and 2026 four-star defensive back Zech Fort, among many others, have good relationships with Oregon. There is no doubt the Ducks will continue recruiting well after the move to the Big Ten.
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UCLA
The last three recruiting classes have not been good for UCLA. In 2024 it ranked No. 84. It was No. 55 in the 2023 class and No. 64 in the 2022 cycle. That’s not going to cut it.
There could be good news coming. If the early talk from prospects continues about UCLA, its recruiting should be much better in the future. The Bruins were mentioned consistently by players as a school they were hearing from more after new coach DeShaun Foster took over the program.
The increased effort on the recruiting trail is not going unnoticed by players. That includes wide receiver Jonah Smith, linebacker/defensive lineman Scott Taylor, defensive back Jayden Crowder and others.
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USC
A camp in Southern California is always going to bring out some major USC targets and Sunday was no different as across the board there were top prospects who mentioned the Trojans.
Quarterbacks Ryder Lyons and Helaman Casuga were two of the top prospects at the event looking at USC and both are dynamic playmakers at the quarterback spot. Up front, new Santa Ana (Calif.) Mater Dei offensive tackle Kodi Greene and interior offensive lineman Champ Taulealea seemed very high on the Trojans. Linebacker Samu Moala played tight end at the camp but definitely looks the part of an elite prospect – at linebacker or edge rusher – along with Talanoa Ili from Orange (Calif.) Lutheran.
Shaun Scott, James Carrington and others should be watched as well as plenty of top local players are highly interested in the Trojans.
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UTAH
Could Utah be loading up with playmakers from California in its 2025 class? After a middling 2024 group, the Utes were mentioned by numerous receivers and tight ends at the Los Angeles camp led by four-star speedster Jadyn Robinson, three-star WR Tavian McNair (who had arguably the nicest catch of the day), in-state tight end Bear Tenney (who visits this weekend) and undervalued tight end Vander Ploog, who is a multi-sport athlete and super athletic.
Another prospect to watch is 2025 in-state offensive lineman Esun Tafa, who visited Utah on Monday as the Utes and Oregon lead early in his recruitment. Many other offensive linemen were also highly interested in Utah and talked a lot of about the development within the program.
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Adam Gorney and Greg Smith, Rivals.com
