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Utah head coach Kyle Whittingham announced the 2012 recruiting class of 28, which includes two mid-year junior college players who signed their National Letters of Intent in December. In total, there are 21 underclassmen and seven junior college transfers.

The crop was line heavy with 16 of the 28 being from either the offensive or defensive line. The class stretches across seven states and is split with 14 players on each side of the ball.

Here's the Utah release with links to all of the players.

Washington coach Steve Sarkisian announced 25 new players to the Washington roster.

Of the 25, 12 are on the offensive side of the ball, 11 are on defense and two are on special teams. There are also two junior college transfers. One player is from the ESPNU 150 list.

You can see the complete list here.

Stanford head coach David Shaw inked a whale of a class on Wednesday, including six players from the ESPNU 150 list and three highly-touted offensive linemen.

ESPN RecruitingNation ranks Stanford's class as the 12th best nationally. The 22-man class, made up of players scattered across 14 states, includes 12 offensive players and 10 defensive players. Of those 12 offensive players, seven of them are on the offensive line.

You can see the entire class here.

When Cameron was in Egypt's land ... let my Cameron go.

• Arizona picks up a recruit from Scottsdale Chaparral -- and hopefully they aren't done.
• Video link on D.J. Foster and his decision to go to ASU.
• While some Cal recruits have flip-flopped, quarterback Zach Kline never had any second guesses.
• Colorado looking to upgrade video board.
• LaMichael James is in Southern California training for the NFL draft.
• Oregon State's DB class is starting to thin out.
• A look at what UCLA has coming back on defense and how new coach Jim Mora is getting aggressive on recruiting.
• Is Robert Woods gone from USC after next year? Maybe not.
• Utah picked up a Texas lineman last night, choosing the Utes over UCLA and USC.
• Some more news on Shaq Thompson picking Washington.
• Cedric Dozier to Washington State or Cal?

Rich Rodriguez has some work to do in his own backyard. That's the conclusion from ESPN The Magazine's LaRue Cook, who examined the worst in-state recruiters. Along with the RecruitingNation crew, ESPN The Magazine poured over the past five years of ESPNU 150 rankings, (750 total recruits) and found the worst 10 BCS programs at holding on to homegrown, elite talent.

Per the study, Arizona is 0-for-12 during that stretch at landing ESPNU 150 recruits while USC has been the top program in that state over that time.

Writes Cook:

Arizona has signed just two ESPNU 150 recruits over the past five years, and neither DE Apaiata Tuihalamaka (Gardena, Calif.) nor TE Rob Gronkowski (Pittsburgh) was a home-state product. While the Trojans have had the most success here, Arizona State was at least able to land two preps within its state borders. Last year, the state's top prospect (OT Christian Westerman of Chandler) signed with Auburn. In 2012, all eyes in Tucson are on the nation's top ATH Davonte Neal (Scottsdale), who's still considering the Wildcats and would certainly kick start Rich Rodriguez's tenure.

But Arizona isn't alone in the Top 5. Pac-12 brethren Stanford and Cal check in on the list at Nos. 3 and 4 respectively. Like Arizona, USC has been California's top recruiter during 2007-2011. Stanford has nabbed just 2-of-73 ESPNU recruits.

Cook on Stanford:

We gave Stanford props for its ability to go out of state to sign top prospects, but there's no ignoring the program's inability to create an elite pipeline in its state. (Meanwhile, UCLA has signed 12 in-state ESPNU 150 recruits over the last five years.) Sure, Cardinal fans can blame their program's struggles on academic constraints, but out of 73 players, surely more than two could qualify. In 2012, David Shaw doesn't have a single ESPNU 150 commit from California -- USC currently has four and UCLA has two -- but No. 4 OT Kyle Murphy (San Clemente) still has Stanford on his short list.

Cross-Bay rival Cal hasn't been much better. The Golden Bears have hauled in just 4-of-73 ESPNU 150 prospects during that time.

Cook on Cal:

We could make the same knock against the Golden Bears over the last five years, but Jeff Tedford has nearly matched his 2007-11 total in 2012. Cal is close to signing three of the state's top eight prospects, including the nation's No. 3 S Shaq Thompson (Sacramento).

You can cut Cal and Stanford a little slack, since California is a recruiting goldmine for the rest of the country -- not just USC. It isn't just the rest of the conference they are trying to fend off. And to compensate, both schools were praised by Cook as top five programs at recruiting out of state.

We're looking at the top individual performances in the Pac-12 in 2011.

Up next: Stanford's running back corps.

Who & against whom? Stepfan Taylor, Tyler Gaffney, Anthony Wilkerson and Jeremy Stewart (among others) at home against Washington on Oct. 22.

The numbers: Taylor rushed for 138 yards and a touchdown, Gaffney rushed for 117 yards and a score, Wilkerson added 93 and two touchdowns and Stewart tacked on 20 and a score as Stanford rushed for a school record 446 yards against the Huskies. Worth noting that Andrew Luck, contributed 23, wide receiver Chris Owusu had a 45 yard end-around and fullback Geoff Meinken added a 10-yard run.

A closer look: First, no rushing record is complete without a tip of the cap to the big boys up front, who punctured holes that allowed Stanford five touchdowns on the ground and a ridiculous 10.1 yards per carry average. And negative rushing yards? Zero. That said, some of the praise also goes to Luck, who called a good chunk of the plays at the line of scrimmage and -- as David Shaw tells the story -- told his coach it was the finest game of his career. Washington's Chris Polk set the standard with 144 yards (including touchdown runs of 46 and 61 yards). But the Cardinal answered with a 70-yard touchdown run by Taylor (the longest of the season) and then a 38-yard touchdown by Wilkerson that set the school record. Oh yeah, Stanford also won 65-21. A historical night on The Farm.

Todd Graham's first few weeks on the job at Arizona State have been about fences:

• Building them.
• Mending them.
• Figuring out how to put a "de" in front of them.

Graham, in essence, has three No. 1 priorities. In the immediate future, his first No. 1 priority has been building a fence around Phoenix to keep the region's top talent at home, then venturing out into the rest of the state before dipping the fiery pitchfork into California, Texas and somewhat into Florida.

"There are 4.5 million people in Phoenix and one major university," Graham said. "There is no setting like that in the nation. We want to get the best and brightest Phoenix has to offer. We have to get out in the community, show them what we're all about and put a product on the field, in the classroom and in the community they can be proud of. You have to send a message and then actually deliver on that message."

But one cannot sustain in the Pac-12 on Arizona alone. He knows that after planting his flag in the desert, hitting the Golden State -- among others -- is key. Last week, Graham was in Seattle, Atlanta, Tampa, Lafayette, New Orleans, Houston, California and then back to Arizona.

"If Phoenix and Arizona are priority No. 1, California has to be priority No. 2," Graham said. "Los Angeles, Northern California and the rest of Southern California. We have to be successful there, no doubt. But we want to win Phoenix first, then Arizona. We can't ignore our base."

And so far, he hasn't. He picked up a big commitment last week with Scottsdale, Ariz., running back D.J. Foster.

On to the second No. 1 priority. Once the fences are up -- and it will take more than a few weeks and a couple of commits, mind you -- it's on to mending the fences and getting Phoenix excited again about its college football team. After a season that started off so promising, followed by a second-half meltdown, the firing of Dennis Erickson, a bowl-game debacle against Boise State and the exodus of quarterback Brock Osweiler, there are lots of pieces that need to be picked up before next season.

"Results," Graham said. "I think you show them in results. That's getting out there and competing."

And that's what was lacking -- results -- at least in the second half of last season. After opening the year winning five of their first six -- which included signature victories over No. 21 Missouri and No. 23 USC -- the Sun Devils collapsed down the stretch. They dropped five straight to close the year -- including a 56-24 thrashing by Boise State in the Las Vegas Bowl.

Restoring confidence won't be easy. But so far, Graham is saying all of the things a new head coach should say.

"I'm not going to recruit the guys to the scheme and then win. We're going to win with the guys we have," he said.

Which leads us to his third No. 1 priority: defense. In order to win with the players they have, the Sun Devils will have to figure out how to keep the other team out of the end zone. ASU ranked in the bottom half of the country (74th) in points allowed last year and 91st in total defense.

"This is probably the most difficult conference in the country to play defense in," Graham said. "You have explosive offenses everywhere you look. The key to winning the championship in this conference is playing championship defense. The biggest challenge is defending week in and week out these very prolific and very high-powered offenses."

Despite zero all-conference players on the defensive line, Graham said that's where he likes his team's depth. He plans to play multiple fronts and said they will be very aggressive. His Pittsburgh squad last year was third in the nation in sacks with more than three per game.

"We're solid inside," Graham said. "We have a lot of depth out at defensive tackles and three technique and nose shade. We'll stand one of those ends up, sometimes they'll put their hand down and sometimes it's preference. We'll be very multiple in what we're doing, but we'll be attack-oriented. We're not going to sit and defend, we're going to get after it."

Some highlights and notes from the Pac-12 recruiting world over the weekend.

By now, you've all heard that Oregon landed ESPNU 150 prospect Arik Armstead (Elk Grove, Calif.). If you haven't, scroll down and read. Here's a good analysis by ESPN's Craig Haubert on why Armstead will fit in better with the Ducks on the offensive line rather than on defense.

Writes Haubert:

Armstead, a top twenty five prospect overall as a OT, could develop into an outstanding O-lineman for the Ducks. He's a good fit for their offensive scheme with his combination of size and athletic skills. He can quickly come off the ball low and hard, knock defenders back and, at times, dominate them in the run game. Capable of being a tough finisher, he has the foot quickness and body control to locate defenders on the move and be very productive playing on his feet in space which could be huge in the Ducks wide-open up-tempo offensive ground attack. With his ability to bend and slide his feet and stay balanced he could also be asset in pass protection as well facing athletic edge rushers in the conference.

In other conference recruiting news:

• A nice pickup for UCLA coach Jim Mora grabbing athlete Devin Fuller (Old Tappan, N.J.). He ranks 39th on the ESPNU 150 list and is a versatile athlete who can play on either side of the ball. Though from what he said at his announcement, he's thinking offense.

"I felt like it was the best fit for me, with the offense they run, the coach, Coach Mora believed in me a lot," Fuller said. "I have family out there and the last thing was the beautiful weather.

"I just felt most comfortable there. I felt like I was already part of the family."

• According to ESPN's Max Olson, Jameis Winston, the nation's No. 1 quarterback, is still seriously considering signing with Stanford. Writes Olson:

On Saturday, Stanford coach David Shaw called Winston's father to confirm Winston has been admitted into the school should he choose to sign there.

Winston remains verbally committed to Florida State, but he said gaining admission into one of the country's most prestigious universities was an honor

• Arizona State has lured outside linebacker Chris Young (Yuma, Ariz./Arizona Western College) away from Oregon State.

• Colorado got a commitment from two-star athlete Jeffery Hall (La Place, La.).

• Athlete Brandon Beaver (Compton, Calif.), once thought a heavy lean toward Washington, says Cal is back in the mix after taking a last-minute visit over the weekend.

• Zach Hoffpauir (Peoria, Ariz.) has de-committed from Cal, but the Bears aren't completely out of the picture.

• Looks like Clive Georges (Key West, Fla.) liked his visit to Arizona over the weekend as multiple sources sayhe's going to sign with the Wildcats.

• The 'Cats also swiped two-star defensive back William Parks (Philadelphia) from Pitt.

• Jason Thompson (Burien, Wash.) has dropped Washington for Wyoming -- presumably for the opportunity to play quarterback.

• With an eye on the future, USC hosted 2013 linebacker Su'a Cravens (Murrieta, Calif.) for an unofficial visit. Cravens could be the top player in California next year.

Be sure to check the Stanford blog in about an hour for a Stanford-specific recruiting roundup.

With severe weather washing out Senior Bowl practices on Thursday, ESPN's Todd McShay reviewed the risers and fallers in the first three days of practice .

Leading his "Stock Down" portion is Washington defensive tackle Alameda Ta'amu.

Writes McShay:

Ta'amu flashed some quickness and power during the practice week, but it was easy to notice the difference in effort from play to play. He was also inconsistent in terms of playing with leverage, and did not display the ability to occupy blockers and be an every-down, two-gap defender the way a 3-4 nose tackle needs to.

Those things have to improve, because being a run-stuffer is the only thing Ta'amu brings to the table. He lacks athleticism and is not a skilled pass-rusher, so he will be limited to being a two-down plugger. You can't coach his size and strength, though, and some 3-4 team looking for depth and a potential future starter at nose tackle will likely take a chance on him, but I was looking for a bit more from Ta'amu this week.

The 6-foot-2, 334-pound Ta'amu closed out the year with 30 tackles -- 15 solo -- to go with seven tackles for a loss and 3.5 sacks. He also earned Pac-12 honorable mention honors.

Keith Price got hit, hammered, drilled, dumped and decked. And in the long run, it might have been the best thing to ever happen to the Washington quarterback.

With every sack Price took -- 26 of them for those keeping track at home -- a knee would strain a little more and an ankle would twist a little further. As those injuries compounded, he had to subdue his first instinct to run the football. In essence, those nagging injuries transformed him into a pure pocket quarterback.

"This year, I didn't have my legs underneath me and I had to make those throws while standing in the pocket and getting hit," Price said. "I had to stand in there and just take them. If I had my legs, I could have avoided them."

An athlete by nature who was more prone to the tuck-and-run, Price had to completely overhaul his style of play. And in the process he set the school's single-season passing touchdown record with 33 scores.

"This year was about learning a new style of play," he said. "I could never imagine playing without my legs. I depend on them so much. Now, it doesn't really matter."

Price was the Pac-12's nice little surprise. Expectations were cautiously tempered as he replaced top-10 draft pick Jake Locker. But the secret is out. This guy can play -- as evidenced by his 66.9 completion percentage. While the rest of the conference might have been in shock to see the sophomore carve up defenses with his arm -- not his legs -- it came as no surprise to him.

"I prepared for this, it's not like it just happened," Price said. "I put in the time and I sacrificed stuff I like for the game that I love. The coaches had faith in me and they helped shape who I am. It's been a blast."

And on Dec. 29, the rest of the country saw what the Pac-12 had learned as Price led the Huskies in a 56-point losing effort against Baylor in the Valero Alamo Bowl. Price accounted for seven touchdowns -- four in the air and three on the ground, his only rushing touchdowns of the year, mind you.

"I thought we had that one," Price said, leaving it at that.

Like its young quarterback, Washington is a team on the rise. The Huskies started the year by winning six of their first eight before hitting the meat-grinder portion of their schedule -- a four-game stretch that included Stanford, Oregon and USC. As the underdog, Washington dropped all three. Then it compounded when the Huskies lost at Oregon State. Injuries kept Price out of the game until he relieved Nick Montana in the fourth quarter, but it wasn't enough.

"I think it was an OK season," Price said. "We have a lot of things we have to improve on. But it was a decent season. Next year we need to have a great season."

Ah, next year. Price won't surprise anyone. And the centerpiece of the offense, running back Chris Polk, will be playing on Sundays. But Price doesn't seem concerned. He happily accepts the target on his back. But first things first, he wants to put some weight on his 6-foot-1, 195-pound frame.

"That's my biggest thing is staying healthy," he said. "Have a good offseason and a good spring ball and just go into camp feeling good about my body. I'm going to be taking a lot of hits and I don't need to be taking any unnecessary hits."

He even sounds like a pocket passer.

It's a beautiful thing to be able to recruit in the Golden State -- and even sweeter to be based there. But let's face it, almost every school in America wants to wet their beak and drink from California's recruiting fountain, one of the top four recruiting states in the union, where players of all positions are in abundance.

Interesting then, that cross-bay rivals Cal and Stanford both landed as two of the top five out-of-state recruiters, as described in a piece by ESPN The Magazine's LaRue Cook.

Cook and the folks at RecruitingNation teamed up to see which 10 programs land the most blue-chip recruits from outside of their home states.

Stanford checked in at No. 2 behind Auburn, and Cal is No. 5 behind Clemson and Alabama.

Cook on Stanford:

The Cardinal just can't compete with USC and UCLA for California's top talent, signing only two of the state's 73 ESPNU 150 recruits from 2007-11. But when Jim Harbaugh landed [Andrew] Luck, it proved that top prospects will travel to Palo Alto. After Harbaugh left for the 49ers, new head coach David Shaw convinced 2011's No. 2 ILB James Vaughters (Tucker, Ga.) to stick with Stanford, and the Cardinal currently have three out-of-state ESPNU 150 preps committed for 2012, including top-25 overall prospect OLB Noor Davis (Leesburg, Fla.).

Shaw has gone out of his way numerous times in his first year as head coach to talk about Stanford as one of the countries true national recruiters.

Cook on Cal:

When we calculated how many miles on average ESPNU 150 recruits traveled to attend their programs, Cal was second (1,179 miles) only to Stanford (1,466) in terms of distance. For that distinction, you can thank [Keenan] Allen, whose signature helped land his high school teammate, WR Maurice Harris, in 2011. (No. 6 S Avery Walls from McDonough, Ga., also added to the mileage.)

While this out-of-state trend is on hiatus in 2012, Jeff Tedford doesn't mind an off year that includes three in-state ESPNU 150 preps (S Shaq Thompson, QB Zach Kline, WR Darius Powe) and a possible top-10 class ranking.

Cal, of course, recently lost Tosh Lupoi to Washington. It will be interesting to see what kind of impact that has on the Bears in the coming classes. Though with a heralded class less than a week away from signing, the immediate impact seems minimal, and there don't appear to be any major defections.

Thursday, I don't care about you.

• Arizona quarterback Nick Foles will compete in the All-Star Football Challenge.
• New ASU coach Todd Graham is making progress on the recruiting front.
• Cal fans can still be thankful for this recruiting season.
• Some more fallout from Colorado recruit Yuri Wright and his infamous Tweets.
• Former Oregon cornerback Cliff Harris says he's still a 'Duck at heart.'
• Former Pac-12 players Ryan Katz (Oregon State), Dillon Baxter (USC) and Brice Butler (USC) are officially enrolled at San Diego State.
• Andrew Luck might not be the only No. 1 pick at Stanford.
• Washington's Chris Polk wins Seattle's Male Sports Star of the Year.
• A reaction to Texas Tech rejecting Mike Leach's settlement request.

Happy Tuesday.

• Arizona lands Trey Griffey, son of Ken Griffey Jr.
• ASU's offensive lineman Garth Gerhart will miss the Senior Bowl with a finger injury.
• A look at what to expect from Cal's wide receivers under Wes Chandler.
• Colorado going heavy on the defensive linemen in this recruiting class.
• OSU's Brandon Hardin enjoyed his time at the East-West Shrine Game, plus some recruiting news.
• In case you missed this one over the weekend, Oregon commit Jeremy Castro flipped to UCLA.
• Heralded offensive line recruit Josh Garnett will choose between Stanford and Michigan on Thursday.
• Some late Monday night updates from Bob Condotta.
• Utah gets a commit from Southern California tight end.
• USC's football team getting plenty of fan support -- but what about the rest of the programs?

What did we learn from Week 7 of Pac-12 action?

Oregon can beat you a lot of different ways: Oregon didn't have its top two offensive stars on the field -- running back LaMichael James and quarterback Darron Thomas -- when it asserted itself in the second half against Arizona State. What that showed in a 41-27 win is the Ducks not only have depth, they also have confidence that the next players in line -- in this case Kenjon Barner and Bryan Bennett -- are good enough to get the job done. Still, the Ducks probably would like James and Thomas back as soon as possible.

Washington is ready for a test; so is Stanford: Washington is 5-1, but it hasn't beaten a team with a winning record. The Huskies' lone loss came at Nebraska , where they were competitive but still lost 51-38. This looks like a pretty good team, particularly on offense, but it's hard to be sure. Enter Stanford. The closest an opponent has been to Stanford, now 6-0, is 26 points (UCLA), but none of its previous foes have winning records either. The Cardinal have been dominant on both sides of the ball, and they whipped the Huskies 41-0 last year. This figures to be the second matchup of ranked Pac-12 teams this year. The Huskies could make a big statement with an upset. The Cardinal would get credit for a quality win.

Utah is pretty good when it doesn't beat itself: Utah lost the turnover battle 10-1 in its previous two games, not surprisingly both losses. It beat Pittsburgh 26-14, largely because it didn't turn the ball over and the Panthers did three times. While not a perfect performance -- the Utes gave up two special-teams TDs -- it should remind the Utes what they can do when they play smart football.

Tedford's seat is heating up: The 30-9 loss to USC was California's third consecutive conference defeat, and the regression of QB Zach Maynard is a concern. While coach Jeff Tedford did a nice job rebuilding the program, he also is responsible for the program's present state. And that is uncertain. Another bowl-less season in Berkeley could make life difficult for Tedford.

Colorado, Oregon State and Arizona -- who's the worst? Colorado and Oregon State don't play each other, which I'd bet bothers both because they'd see a chance to win. And, of course, Oregon State's win over Arizona was the final straw for coach Mike Stoops. The Wildcats and Buffs square off on Nov. 12 -- the same day Oregon and Stanford play -- in what will be a key contest for figuring out the No. 12 spot in the conference.

Issues to consider heading into the seventh week of games.

Thomas takes over: With RB LaMichael James out, QB Darron Thomas becomes the veteran presence inside a young Ducks offensive huddle. He's the guy everyone will look to. Arizona State's defense has rattled some pretty good QBs, most notably USC's Matt Barkley. Thomas hasn't put up big numbers this year, but he's thrown 15 TD passes and just two interceptions. It's likely strong passing numbers from Thomas will be a key in this game.

Lobbestael vs. Luck: It's fun to ha-ha at the absurdity of that -- Washington State's backup QB vs. the most talented QB in college football in a decade -- but that's what we've got Saturday in Pullman: The almost certain No. 1 overall pick in the NFL draft this spring versus a guy who has admirably filled in for starter Jeff Tuel but who may be seeing the last football of his career. There's some poetry there. By the way, Marshall Lobbestael is good enough to give Stanford's secondary some trouble if he gets time to throw.

Barkley-Woods: Last year against California, Barkley threw five first-half TD passes, tying a USC -- full-game -- record. Robert Woods might be the best receiver in the nation in terms of pure talent. If you wonder what Cal needs to be concerned with tonight, it's Barkley-Woods, Barkley-Woods, particularly with starting CB Marc Anthony out.

Price increases Buffs' secondary costs: Washington QB Keith Price ranks second in the Pac-12 in passing efficiency and first in TD passes. Colorado's patchwork secondary, which has been riddled by injuries and suspensions, ranks 10th in the conference in passing efficiency defense and has yielded 14 TD passes, most in the conference. Not a good matchup for the Buffs. Colorado's solution to a struggling secondary is to attack with blitzes -- see 17 sacks, tied for most in the conference. The Huskies have yielded 11 sacks. If Price gets time to throw, he can make Colorado pay. But will he?

Utes up front: Utah's strength is its lines, and it needs to lean on that strength at Pittsburgh. The Panthers on offense are mostly one guy: RB Ray Graham, the nation's second leading rusher. The Panthers aren't good if they have to pass. They yield 4.67 sacks per game, most in the nation, and rank 96th in the nation in passing efficiency. So it's obvious: Make Pitt throw. On the other side, the Utes probably will faces that same strategy. The Panthers will try to make new Utes starting QB Jon Hays beat them. But RB John White and a solid offensive line might be good enough to still win that battle in the trenches.

Beavers fall: Every year is a new year, so past trends don't always matter. Until they do. This year started out particularly bad for Oregon State, but losing Septembers are -- sorry -- standard in Corvallis. That's the bad news. The good news is the Beavers typically seem to get better. They have entered October with losing records eight consecutive years. But since 2004, they are 38-15 in October, November and December. After an 0-4 start, they are now 1-0 in October. Can they maintain their trend of mid-to-late-season improvement?

The 6-8 QB: Inside Autzen Stadium, everything starts with the opposing QB. How well can he handle the noise? Can he maintain focus and make plays and avoid miscues. Arizona State's Brock Osweiler, who it will be noted at least once on Saturday is 6-foot-8, made his first career start at Autzen in 2009 as a true freshman. That evening started badly and ended quickly when he was knocked out of the game. Suffice it to say, he's a different guy these days: Skilled, confident, knowledgeable. It's also impossible to believe the Sun Devils can record an upset without him playing lights out -- as he did against Missouri and USC.

Cougs up front: While Andrew Luck gets all the publicity, Stanford is as much about being physical up front on both lines as it is about Luck. Luck will stress the Washington State secondary, but the real measure of the Cougars' ability to hang with Stanford will be on both lines. Can the Cougs slow down the Stanford running game and force Luck to throw? That doesn't sound like a great thing, but it's critical in terms of slowing down Stanford. And, on the other side of the ball, will the Cougs be able to run well enough that the Cardinal doesn't load up with blitzes on Lobbestael? Playing at home will help. But Washington State's only chance is not getting exploited at the line of scrimmage.