Those hires and the programs they oversee are operating with more urgency in the region, which is home to 31 of California\u2019s 35 blue-chip prospects in the Class of 2027 and is one of the more fertile recruiting areas in the country.<\/p>\n
To gain more insight into how things are unfolding across the SoCal landscape, which stretches from Los Angeles to San Diego, The Athletic spoke to 10 high school coaches about the recruiting climate. They were granted anonymity in exchange for their candor to protect relationships.<\/p>\n
Coach 1: A high school head coach
\nCoach 2: A high school head coach
\nCoach 3: A high school director of football operations
\nCoach 4: A high school head coach
\nCoach 5: A high school head coach
\nCoach 6: A high school head coach
\nCoach 7: A high school head coach
\nCoach 8: A high school head coach
\nCoach 9: A high school assistant coach
\nCoach 10: A high school head coach
\nWhich school is recruiting the region the best right now?<\/p>\n
Coach 1: Right now, there\u2019s a lot of buzz at UCLA with what coach Chesney has done there. There\u2019s a buzz within Southern California football about what these guys are bringing. I think they\u2019ve changed the culture in the beginning part (of their tenure).<\/p>\n
Coach 2: USC, just on the name recognition of the recruits coming in. But if you take a look at the delta between what was done last year compared to this (year), I think UCLA is blowing it out of the water.<\/p>\n
Coach 3: I\u2019d have to say USC from the standpoint (that) they have the most Southern California kids committed. Cal is second. I think they\u2019re doing a good job, and UCLA is coming along.<\/p>\n
Coach 4: Obviously, USC and UCLA are doing a good job. Arizona State and Arizona have both been here and consistently with it. \u2026 Oregon, Texas has a strong presence here. Boise State for sure. Cal has been doing a really good job. Stanford as well.<\/p>\n
Coach 5: I\u2019d probably say Texas A&M and Oklahoma. So is Alabama. (Crimson Tide general manager) Courtney Morgan is from Los Angeles and understands the landscape and what it has been historically. Oregon dominates Southern California.<\/p>\n
Coach 6: I feel like Washington does a really good job. I feel like UCLA, since (Chesney) has done a really good job. Miami has been out quite a bit, too.<\/p>\n
Coach 7: UCLA. They are by far the most aggressive out here. USC is more old-school. \u201cYeah, we are SC. They\u2019ll come to us.\u201d \u2026 UCLA is looking under the hood more as far as when it comes to getting to know a player and know the system he\u2019s coming from, talking to the staff and the coaches and understanding how the kid is trending, rather than just seeing if they fit the height-weight-speed combination.<\/p>\n
Coach 8: It feels like UCLA. They\u2019ve come on late. Although Oregon always does a good job of recruiting Southern California.<\/p>\n
Coach 9: The two local schools are kicking ass.<\/p>\n
Coach 10: In the last 4-5 years, I think it\u2019s probably Oregon, but USC and UCLA have really picked it up of late.<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/USATSI_28867717-scaled.jpg\")
<\/p>\n
\n UCLA\u2019s recruiting is on the uptick under new coach Bob Chesney. (Kirby Lee \/ Imagn Images)<\/p>\n
What\u2019s surprised you most about UCLA\u2019s recruiting surge?<\/p>\n
Coach 2: To me, they\u2019re putting a lot of stock and belief into what Bob Chesney\u2019s selling. I don\u2019t necessarily think it\u2019s a sales job; I think he\u2019s really compelling in what he has to say, and he\u2019s incredibly dynamic. He\u2019s just one of these guys you just don\u2019t see any reason why you wouldn\u2019t believe what he\u2019s saying.<\/p>\n
Coach 3: What\u2019s surprised me the most is they\u2019re getting some out-of-state kids to come to UCLA \u2014 some high-level out-of-state kids.<\/p>\n
Coach 4: In the past, we\u2019ve heard a bunch of why they can\u2019t do stuff and why they\u2019re different than other schools. But we\u2019re not hearing any of that. We\u2019re not hearing any of those excuses. They\u2019re excited to be there. They\u2019re very active in getting kids on campus.<\/p>\n
Coach 5: I think coach Chesney has been doing a really good job of being exciting. \u2026 His staff has been personal and able to relate to student-athletes. Not to say previous staffs did not, but UCLA has the stigma of being little brother and (a school that) doesn\u2019t really care about football and they\u2019re usually late to the party. \u2026 They\u2019re doing better.<\/p>\n
Coach 6: They come out in full force on our guys and ready to go. They seem very energetic and interested. They develop a really good rapport with the players.<\/p>\n
Coach 7: They don\u2019t have a lot of Cali guys on staff, so as quickly as they got integrated with California is impressive. That was a surprise. When they came out here, they got right into the community. You\u2019d see their whole staff going to a bunch of different schools when they could. It might be five, six, seven, eight of their staff at one school and that was pretty impressive.<\/p>\n
Coach 9: That coaching staff, top to bottom, is awesome. I think Chesney has done an amazing job of bringing in the energy. I went to a couple of their practices and the energy is through the roof, and the kids are feeding off it.<\/p>\n
Coach 10: They have a really good coaching staff. I think they probably have more resources than the last couple of regimes there did. And they have a nice combination of things going there with a good, energetic, positive staff.<\/p>\n
How has USC changed its recruiting approach since Chad Bowden got there?<\/p>\n
Coach 2: The emphasis obviously is on the West Coast. They definitely want to lock down the best players on the West Coast. That\u2019s the No. 1 thing he has done and made a commitment to \u2014 \u201cWe\u2019re not going to let any of our elite players get out of the area regardless of position.\u201d<\/p>\n
Coach 3: They\u2019re up front and they talk about NIL and what that looks like, when before it was vague to say the least. Now it\u2019s straight to the point. You know where it is, you know what your value is and what they want to do.<\/p>\n
Coach 4: We\u2019ve been very involved with USC over the years. \u2026 They\u2019ve done a great job and are continuing to do a great job.<\/p>\n
Coach 5: The focus on out-of-state national kids is more targeted. Whereas before it was kind of whoever they wanted, they\u2019d pursue nationally, mainly in the South, and it was kind of reflective in the culture. I heard the cries about, \u201cHey, SC isn\u2019t recruiting our kid or coming to recruit our kids.\u201d They\u2019ve changed that.<\/p>\n
Coach 7: I really don\u2019t think it has actually. It\u2019s still USC, and they still lean too much on the past. \u2026 I still think they\u2019re too old school. I just don\u2019t think it\u2019s what 2026 is. Things are different now. The whole landscape is different. The No. 1 ranking in the commitment class doesn\u2019t really mean anything. It just doesn\u2019t. \u201cOh, they got 20 four- and five-star guys.\u201d Half of those kids ain\u2019t gonna be there in two years, and a bunch of the other half of those guys ain\u2019t gonna pan out.<\/p>\n
Coach 9: He came in guns blazing, man. He\u2019s done a great job with recruiting the local guys and getting them to stay home. It\u2019d been a while where both SC and UCLA weren\u2019t really recruiting locally for whatever reasons, but when Bowden came in, he made a huge emphasis on recruiting the top-tier guys and keeping them here.<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/GettyImages-2185165561.jpg\")
<\/p>\n
\n Lincoln Riley and the Trojans signed the No. 1 recruiting class in the 2026 cycle. (Sean M. Haffey \/ Getty Images)<\/p>\n
Have you noticed more of a Big Ten presence since expansion?<\/p>\n
Coach 1: A little bit more. I think teams are reaching out to Southern California a little more because they\u2019re competing against USC and UCLA, so I think everybody is picking up the pace with regard to Southern California talent.<\/p>\n
Coach 2: I have not. Not at all. I thought we would, but not at all.<\/p>\n
Coach 3: They\u2019ve always been around, but almost every Big Ten school has been out to see us.<\/p>\n
Coach 4: Yeah, because there\u2019s no excuse not to (come) here now.<\/p>\n
Coach 6: For sure. You have a longer reach now.<\/p>\n
Coach 7: Yes. Absolutely. Northwestern and Purdue weren\u2019t here like this years ago. I\u2019ve seen a lot bigger presence from the Big Ten out here.<\/p>\n
Coach 8: Not necessarily.<\/p>\n
Coach 9: I have, and they\u2019re getting good players, not just the Michigans and Ohio States.<\/p>\n
Coach 10: Not really. I think those that were in the Pac-12 and moved to the Big Ten still have the same amount of presence, but we don\u2019t see a lot of those other programs.<\/p>\n
Which school is the most aggressive with money?<\/p>\n
Coach 1: From my experience, USC. I\u2019m sure there are others out there as well, but for us, them.<\/p>\n
Coach 2: USC, in my opinion.<\/p>\n
Coach 3: Texas. Hands down. At one time, it was Oregon, but I think people are actually catching up to them. And USC right now, they\u2019re spending some money.<\/p>\n
Coach 4: I don\u2019t get involved with that much at all, but without question in my mind, Miami is No. 1.<\/p>\n
Coach 5: Oregon and USC. \u2026 They\u2019re definitely someone throwing their weight around. And the Texas schools.<\/p>\n
Coach 6: I try not to get involved with that because I don\u2019t want to get blamed on the back end, but it seems like the Texas schools seem to be a little more aggressive with that.<\/p>\n
Coach 7: They\u2019re all the same, I think. It just depends on the kid. They\u2019ll find the money for him if they think he can change the program.<\/p>\n
Coach 9: I know it\u2019s the new norm, but I try not to get involved with that. I leave that to the players and the families and whatever representatives they have. \u2026 It\u2019s a sensitive subject.<\/p>\n
Do you deal with programs less now that agents have become prevalent?<\/p>\n
Coach 1: A little more, to be honest with you. When kids go into the portal, in the past, it would work through the high school coach or family, but it seems like, especially with the portal, once they leave our campus, it\u2019s more agent-driven.<\/p>\n
Coach 2: I still am very much in contact with the coaches. Where it\u2019s changed is I have much stronger relationships with the general managers now than I\u2019ve ever had.<\/p>\n
Coach 3: Actually, it\u2019s more. I get more phone calls now because agents are involved and colleges come to me for help.<\/p>\n
Coach 4: No. In the past, you kind of went through the handler to get the kids. I think colleges are still doing that, but they\u2019re vetting the player more. So-called handlers are going to sell the car no matter what shape it\u2019s in, but if they want the real truth, they\u2019re going to the high school coaches. I\u2019m also getting calls about transfers \u2014 \u201cHey, this kid played for you four years ago. Can you tell me about him?\u201d<\/p>\n
Coach 5: For me, it\u2019s still the same.<\/p>\n
Coach 6: We get a lot of coaches still. GMs will usually call, but coaches will still come out and check things out.<\/p>\n
Coach 7: It\u2019s probably even more now. But I do think it\u2019s my fiduciary responsibility to know both sides of it. I need to educate my players and their families.<\/p>\n
Coach 10: No. I think when things are real, and schools are really recruiting somebody, they still reach out to the coaches.<\/p>\n
Which assistant coaches have been the most impressive in recruiting?<\/p>\n
Coach 1: The staff that always does a great job is Boise State. They ignore the stars and they ignore the rankings and they go after the guys who fit within the culture of their program.<\/p>\n
Coach 2: (Receivers coach) Colin Lockett is one that\u2019s at UCLA. I think (inside receivers coach) Chad Savage does a really good job at USC. I still think Tosh Lupoi, even though he\u2019s a head coach, he\u2019s still a dynamic recruiter. That\u2019s why Cal is starting to become more of a player in this game as well.<\/p>\n
Coach 3: (Receivers coach) Dennis Simmons at USC. If he wants a kid, he\u2019s getting him.<\/p>\n
Coach 4: (Texas offensive line coach) Kyle Flood was outstanding when he was here. (Michigan tight ends coach) Freddie Whittingham and I have always had a great relationship. \u2026 (Special teams coordinator) Sean Saturnio from Army. I love it when he\u2019s down here.<\/p>\n
Coach 5: (Georgia defensive backs coach) Donte Williams is always one that sticks out. Wherever he is, he always finds a way to get the best players. \u2026 (Receivers coach) Del Alexander at UNLV. He\u2019s a guy that\u2019s been in the game for a very long time. Really, really develops relationships first, and then you\u2019ve got the youngbloods like (receivers coach) James Finley at Oregon State, who really develops relationships with these players and is a hell of a coach himself, and Chad Savage. Chad is a beast.<\/p>\n
Coach 6: Shannon Dawson, the OC at Miami.<\/p>\n
Coach 7: I\u2019m always impressed with how Ohio State moves and operates when they come in, but I wouldn\u2019t say any one assistant is above the other.<\/p>\n
Coach 8: I think the Ohio State and Oregon and BYU coaches are really professional.<\/p>\n
Coach 9: Chad Savage from SC. Love Chad. I\u2019ve known him for many years. Everywhere he\u2019s gone, he\u2019s brought talent. \u2026 He\u2019s relentless. (Cornerbacks coach Trovon) Reed at SC, he\u2019s done a huge job for them, too. (Arizona defensive line coach) Joe Salave\u2019a is one of the real OGs in the game and he\u2019s a really good recruiter. My boy over at Oklahoma, (director of player personnel) Stacey Ford. He\u2019s relentless. All of Oregon\u2019s coaches are real impressive<\/p>\n
How strong do you think the 2027 class is in the region?<\/p>\n
Coach 1: I think it\u2019s OK. I think the 2028 class has more talent overall.<\/p>\n
Coach 2: I don\u2019t think it\u2019s tremendously strong. I think some of the reclassification kids make the 2027 class better, but I think the 2028, 2029 classes are loaded, though.<\/p>\n
Coach 3: I don\u2019t think it\u2019s as strong. There\u2019s not an elite quarterback around. It\u2019s kind of lineman-driven. It\u2019s different. I wouldn\u2019t say it\u2019s not very good; it\u2019s just a different type of class.<\/p>\n
Coach 5: I think it\u2019s probably one of the better classes the past couple of years at certain positions, but the totality of the class, it\u2019s kind of waiting to be seen. \u2026 It could be one of the best if everyone pans out.<\/p>\n
Coach 6: I think it\u2019s a strong class.<\/p>\n
Coach 8: In a word, it\u2019s ridiculous. The sheer number of guys who can play high-level football really stands out.<\/p>\n
Coach 9: I think it\u2019s pretty strong. It\u2019s not to the level of last year, where it felt like there were superstars all over the board. It was ridiculous, but the talent level here is still really high, top to bottom.<\/p>\n
Do schools recruit differently since the portal has become a factor?<\/p>\n
Coach 1: If you\u2019re a smaller school, you may want to meet that kid who is not in reach for you because you never know when a kid may fall to you. \u2026 You never know when a kid is going to leave a USC and go to UC Davis or Colorado State.<\/p>\n
Coach 2: I haven\u2019t noticed that much of a difference. The only thing is that the borderline kid is the one that\u2019s really been affected. Where in the past, if he was a borderline kid they would offer. But now they\u2019re more hesitant because they don\u2019t need to offer that guy.<\/p>\n
Coach 3: A thousand percent. Less guys are getting scholarships now. That\u2019s just the truth. When you have offers on the table, you don\u2019t have very long either unless you\u2019re a top guy. \u2026 If you\u2019ve got something, you\u2019ve got to jump on it.<\/p>\n
Coach 4: I heard one recruiter tell me, \u201cWe have offers out to high school kids; if they don\u2019t commit by June we go to the portal.\u201d So I think that\u2019s something colleges are going toward unless he\u2019s a crazy national recruit.<\/p>\n
Coach 6: I think it\u2019s a little different for linemen. A lineman who might have been a grayshirt-type kid gets looked over a lot right now. That kid ends up somewhere else, like a smaller school or a JC.<\/p>\n
Coach 7: Absolutely. They\u2019re not as thirsty. If we don\u2019t get that kid, \u201cOK, we\u2019re gonna go to the portal.\u201d It used to be like 23 of 25 kids in the recruiting class were gonna be high school kids. Now, it might only be 10 or 12. You can be all-world, but if you\u2019re only 18 or 19, how are you competing with that 22- or 23-year-old man? That\u2019s tough.<\/p>\n
Coach 8: I don\u2019t think schools really project anymore. \u2026 The bigger schools, though, are specifically not projecting that because they can go to the portal and wait till he does \u2014 or doesn\u2019t \u2014 develop.<\/p>\n
Coach 9: 1,000 percent. Some of them still are sticking to their guns, where they want to recruit the high school guys first before they tap into the portal. The portal game has not only changed the game at the high school level, but the junior college level is really feeling the impact, too.<\/p>\n
Coach 10: It\u2019s limiting numbers. \u2026 I really feel for the walk-ons who have less opportunity. Everything is so different now than it used to be. It\u2019s like you\u2019ve gotta come in as old as you can (reclassify) and leave as early as you can, graduate in January. I\u2019m not saying these are bad people doing it, but this is the advantage and the sacrifices they\u2019re making.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Southern California is an interesting recruiting territory these days. In recent years, out-of-state programs like Alabama, Oregon, Texas,…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":377768,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[13715,13651,13689,13703,7,3369,9,8,1321,13702,13613,13684,13669,13640,13626,13625,13675,494,93081,13633,13652,13670],"class_list":["post-377767","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-california","tag-alabama-crimson-tide","tag-arizona-state-sun-devils","tag-arizona-wildcats","tag-byu-cougars","tag-california","tag-california-golden-bears","tag-california-headlines","tag-california-news","tag-college-football","tag-georgia-bulldogs","tag-miami-hurricanes","tag-michigan-wolverines","tag-northwestern-wildcats","tag-ohio-state-buckeyes","tag-oklahoma-sooners","tag-oregon-ducks","tag-purdue-boilermakers","tag-stanford-cardinal","tag-texas-am-aggies","tag-texas-longhorns","tag-ucla-bruins","tag-usc-trojans"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/377767","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=377767"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/377767\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/377768"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=377767"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=377767"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=377767"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}