Border Battles: 5 key 2023 recruiting clashes in Pac 12 territory

Even though we are still early in the recruitment process for the Class of 2023, some early storylines and key border battles have already emerged. For example, we’re already seeing some schools, like USC and Notre Dame, climb the On3 Consensus Team Recruiting Rankings with early commitments in the junior class. We’re also seeing some important skirmishes emerging, and On3 examines the five key border battles from within Pac 12 territory. Earlier this week, On3 reviewed some key battles in the Big 12.

QB Nico Iamaleava

Warren (Calif.) Downey
Star ranking: 5 stars
On3 Consensus: No. 4
Teams battling: Oregon, Alabama, Georgia, Tennessee, UCLA
The Skinny: With Five-Star Plus+ quarterback Malachi Nelson already off the board with his commitment to USC, Nico Iamaleava is the most wanted overall prospect in Pac 12 Country.

Iamaleava is interested in SEC schools, especially Alabama, Georgia and Tennessee. But he’s also looking hard at Miami and Oregon, two schools he’s recently visited. Also, don’t discount the push from hometown UCLA. The Bruins are looking for its quarterback of the future under Chip Kelly.

The On3 Recruiting Prediction Machine currently lists Oregon with a 36.3% chance of landing Iamaleava. Alabama is second at 21.8%. The Tide is followed by Georgia at 16.9%, Tennessee at 12.1% and UCLA at 7.3%.

Justin Hopkins of On’3 Scoop Duck recently logged a projection for the Ducks to land Iamaleava. That prediction is a factor in the Pac 12 program’s lead in the On3 RPM.

DL Matayo Uiagalelei

Bellflower (Calif.) St. John Bosco
Star ranking: 5 stars
On3 Consensus: No. 15
Teams battling: USC, Clemson, LSU, Texas, Oregon
The Skinny: Matayo Uiagalelei is one of the most coveted prospects in Pac 12 Country. He is the younger brother of former five-star quarterback DJ Uiagalelei, and like the older brother, he has national options and is getting heavily pushed by Pac 12 programs.

It doesn’t appear he’s in a major rush with the decision.

“Matayo is still taking it all in right now,” his father, Dave Uiagalelei, told On3. “There is no top five, top 10, or anything like that right now. He is taking his time with everything. Matayo is an old-school guy and not too caught up in all the recruiting stuff. He is talking with coaches, looking for the best relationships, and seeing how the interaction is with different coaches.”

He did take visits in January to Oregon and USC. Ohio State, Clemson, Alabama, Texas and Georgia are other schools he has talked about visiting in the spring and summer.

DL Jayden Wayne

Tacoma (Wash.) Lincoln
Star ranking: 4 stars
On3 Consensus: No. 29
Teams battling: Washington, Florida, Alabama, LSU, Georgia, Auburn, Oregon, USC, Miami, Texas, Michigan State
The Skinny: Jayden Wayne has more than 40 scholarship offers. But he recently narrowed his list to 11 schools. He’s become a priority target for Pac 12 rivals Oregon, USC and Washington.

But will he follow in the footsteps of some of the other top recruits in Washington lately and end up at a national program? We’ll soon know as this recruiting battle develops.

QB Jaden Rashada

Pittsburg (Calif.) High
On3 Ranking: 4 stars
On3 Consensus: No. 47
Teams battling: Arizona, Arizona State, Arkansas, Auburn, Oregon, Oregon State, Penn State, UCLA, Washington
The Skinny: With Iamaleava and Five-Star Plus+ Arch Manning still on the board, Jaden Rashada will have to decide on whether or not he waits to make a decision or become one of the first national quarterback dominoes to fall.

Several of the Pac 12 schools on his list have made Iamaleava a priority. Plus, what happens with Manning could force other programs to make corresponding moves at the quarterback spot. But Rashada could decide to go his own way before the others and make an early decision.

On Christmas Day, he released a top list of Arizona, Arizona State, Arkansas, Auburn, Oklahoma, Oregon, Oregon State, Penn State, UCLA and Washington. But since then, the Sooners have landed a commitment at the position. Furthermore, he’s added new offers from LSU, Houston, Michigan State, Minnesota and Stanford.

So, this one feels like there’s a lot of movement to be had. Several Pac 12 programs expect to be in the race to the end.

TE Riley Williams

Portland (Ore.) Central Catholic
Star ranking: 4 stars
On3 Consensus: No. 88
Teams battling: Oregon, Miami, Washington, USC, Ohio State, Oklahoma, LSU, Oregon State
The Skinny: Riley Williams is the top overall player in Oregon. So, it’s no surprise that both Oregon and Oregon State have made him a priority. It’s also not a shock that Washington is pushing, and former Duck coach Mario Cristobal is after him for Miami.

That being said, Oregon is the clear-cut team to beat, according to the On3 Recruiting Prediction Machine. The Ducks are listed with a 95.1% chance of landing Williams.

The good news for the schools recruiting against the Ducks is that Williams hasn’t given any indication that he’s going to commit soon. That could give national programs and Pac 12 teams time to whittle away at that early lead.