The News Tribune’s 2021 Western 100: The top high school football recruits in the West
The top 100 high school football recruits in the 2021 class from Alaska (0), Arizona (12), British Columbia (0), California (51), Colorado (5), Hawaii (4), Idaho (1), Montana (0), Nevada (4), New Mexico (0), Oregon (3), Utah (8), Washington (12) and Wyoming (0) as selected by The News Tribune after polling various media outlets.
QUARTERBACKS (11)
Tyler Buchner, 6-2/205, La Jolla, Calif. (Helix)
Enrolled at: Notre Dame
Peter Costelli, 6-3/205, Mission Viejo, Calif. (Mission Viejo)
Enrolled at: Utah
Jaxson Dart, 6-3/210, Draper, Utah (Corner Canyon)
Signed to: USC
Deacon Hill, 6-3/230, Santa Barbara, Calif. (Santa Barbara)
Signed to: Wisconsin
Kajiya Hollawayne, 6-3/205, San Jacinto, Calif. (San Jacinto)
Signed to: UCLA
Sam Huard, 6-2/190, Bellevue, Wash. (Kennedy Catholic)
Signed to: Washington
Clay Millen, 6-3/190, Snoqualmie, Wash. (Mount Si)
Considering: Colorado, Nevada
Kai Millner, 6-2/190, Gilbert, Ariz. (Higley)
Signed to: California
Miller Moss, 6-2/195, Mission Hills, Calif. (Bishop Alemany)
Signed to: USC
Ari Patu, 6-4/205, Folsom, Calif. (Folsom)
Signed to: Stanford
Ty Thompson, 6-4/215, Gilbert, Ariz. (Mesquite)
Enrolled at: Oregon
Scouting report: High school football is set to resume in Washington in the coming weeks, but seasons will be shortened, meaning Huard, who was on pace to shatter all of the state’s passing records, likely won’t get the chance to top the list in every category. Still, the five-star passer is 746-of-1,218 for 11,745 yards and 132 touchdowns with a completion percentage of 61.2 in 32 career games with Kennedy Catholic, and has a shot to at least top Brett Rypien’s yardage mark (13,044) even if the Lancers only play a handful of games. Regardless of records, Huard will still be widely considered one of the best high school quarterbacks in state history. He’s rated the top pocket passer in the nation in 2021 by both 247Sports and ESPN, and his smooth release, pinpoint accuracy and long shots downfield have marveled the Pacific Northwest the past three years. Huard committed to the hometown Huskies the day of the Apple Cup in 2018, shutting down his recruitment after his sophomore season to follow in the footsteps of his father Damon and uncle Brock, who were both quarterbacks at UW before playing in the NFL. Had Huard not had such strong ties to the Huskies and committed so early, his recruitment likely would have rivaled that of Jacob Eason, the most heavily recruited quarterback in state history who played for Georgia and UW before being drafted by the Colts in the fourth round last spring. … The top quarterback in Arizona this year, Thompson, a five-star in Rivals’ rankings, is already generating plenty of excitement in Eugene. He led Mesquite to back-to-back state championships the past two seasons, and finished his career with 9,891 passing yards and 100 touchdowns, and another 1,145 rushing yards and 20 scores. There’s chatter he could start for the Ducks as a true freshman. The last quarterback to do that in Eugene? That would be Justin Herbert, who is now with the Chargers and a front runner for the NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year award. … Dart’s stock rose significantly his final high school season. He didn’t have a Power Five offer until September, but several to choose from by the time he signed with the Trojans in December. Dart broke Utah’s state record for single-season passing touchdowns with 67 in 2020 while leading Corner Canyon to an undefeated record and third consecutive state title. He was named the MaxPreps High School Football Player of the Year in January. … California’s group of passers isn’t as strong as last year, when Mater Dei’s Bryce Young (now at Alabama) and St. John Bosco’s D.J. Uiagalelei (Clemson), who were considered the top two players in the nation by 247Sports, headlined the class. But, there’s still plenty of talent. Buchner is the leader of the group after a stellar junior season at The Bishop’s School when he threw for nearly 4,500 yards and 53 touchdowns coming off a torn ACL the year prior. He transferred to Helix last summer, but California delayed football until the spring due to the COVID-19 pandemic and Buchner has since graduated. … Two of the quarterbacks in this group have older brothers who were Northwest Nuggets and Western 100 picks by TNT in 2019. Millen is the younger brother of quarterback Cale Millen, who was at Oregon the past two seasons before entering the transfer portal. Patu is the younger brother of Cal linebacker Orin Patu.
RUNNING BACKS (3)
Byron Cardwell, 6-0/205, San Diego, Calif. (Morse)
Committed to: Oregon
Damir Collins, 5-9/185, Portland, Ore. (Jefferson)
Signed to: Oregon State
Jordan Hornbeak, 6-0/195, Fresno, Calif. (San Joaquin Memorial)
Signed to: Fresno State
Scouting report: Consistent with years past, a small group with a clear headliner in Cardwell, a speedy, balanced and versatile back who is considered among the top 10 players in the country at the position. He committed to Oregon last week, passing up offers from the SEC, Big Ten and ACC to stay in the West and join the Pac-12. He would be the 18th consensus four-star recruit to join the Ducks — who have likely won the Pac-12 recruiting title for the third year running — in this class. … Could Collins be the next Jermar Jefferson at Oregon State? The Beavers could certainly use the Portland native in the same way they used the stud running back who declared for the NFL Draft in December after averaging 143 yards per game in 2020 and earning co-Offensive Player of the Year honors in the Pac-12. Collins is the highest-ranked recruit in Oregon State’s incoming class and tallied nearly 2,500 rushing yards his junior season with 27 touchdowns. He averaged 11.3 yards per carry, 245.3 per game and rushed for 100-plus yards in all 10 games for Jefferson. … Hornbeak surprised the Pac-12 when he opted to play for the Bulldogs, but has said having family around prompted him to stay close to home. He passed up offers from more than half of the Pac-12, including Cal, Colorado, Oregon State, UCLA, Utah, UW and WSU. … This was not a deep class overall in the West, with several Pac-12 programs, including UCLA, USC and Utah going outside of the region to sign consensus top-25 backs.
WIDE RECEIVERS (10)
Junior Alexander, 6-3/190, Burien, Wash. (Kennedy Catholic)
Signed to: Arizona State
Mavin Anderson, 6-0/195, Mission Viejo, Calif. (Mission Viejo)
Signed to: California
Beaux Collins, 6-2/195, Bellflower, Calif. (St. John Bosco)
Enrolled at: Clemson
Cristian Dixon, 6-2/185, Santa Ana, Calif. (Mater Dei)
Signed to: Michigan
Emeka Egbuka, 6-1/190, Steilacoom, Wash. (Steilacoom)
Enrolled at: Ohio State
Troy Franklin, 6-2/170, Menlo Park, Calif. (Menlo-Atherton)
Signed to: Oregon
Michael Jackson, 6-0/200, Las Vegas, Nev. (Desert Pines)
Enrolled at: USC
Jabez Tinae, 6-1/185, Burien, Wash. (Kennedy Catholic)
Signed to: Washington
Xavier Worthy, 6-1/160, Fresno, Calif. (Central East)
Signed to: Michigan
Kyron Ware-Hudson, 6-1/200, Santa Ana, Calif. (Mater Dei)
Signed to: USC
Scouting report: Egbuka kept Power Five programs across the country on the edge of their seats before announcing his long-awaited commitment to Ohio State in December. He even pranked his future Buckeyes coaches the day he decided by wearing another school’s sweatshirt on a FaceTime call with them before tearing it off to reveal an Ohio State shirt, confirming he was he would be joining them in Columbus. “Once I took it off, they both kind of fell out of their seats,” the five-star receiver said after making his announcement. Egbuka, considered the top receiver in the nation and a top-10 recruit overall, held 35 offers before narrowing his choices to Clemson, Ohio State, Oklahoma and Washington last spring, and eventually choosing the Buckeyes. The News Tribune’s reigning All-Area player of the year, and the Associated Press state player of the year, Gatorade Player of the Year and MaxPreps High School Football Junior Player of the Year in 2019, Egbuka posted three remarkable seasons at Steilacoom, finishing with nearly 4,000 receiving yards and 61 touchdowns in 38 games. He had more than 5,100 all-purpose yards and 75 total touchdowns in his career, and snagged 17 interceptions as a defensive back. He opted to enroll early after Washington pushed its high school season back, but would have made a run at several of the state’s receiving records in a normal year. … Franklin is the other elite receiver in this class, considered No. 2 in the West behind Egbuka and a consensus top-three receiver in the nation, and is one of the top additions in Oregon’s stacked class. His playmaking ability has already drawn comparisons to Alabama’s DeVonta Smith, who in January became the first wide receiver to win the Heisman Trophy in nearly three decades. … California has two more consensus top-100 receivers nationally behind Franklin in Worthy and Collins. Worthy finished with nearly 1,000 receiving yards and 16 touchdowns his junior season in helping Central East to an undefeated season and the program’s first state championship in 2019. Earlier that spring, the speedy receiver posted the top mark of any sophomore in California in the 100-meter dash with a personal-best 10.55 seconds. Collins eclipsed 1,000 yards and tallied 14 touchdowns his junior season and was one of Uiagalelei’s top three targets on a St. John Bosco team that won a state title and was unanimously selected as the country’s top high school program. Collins will reunite with his former quarterback at Clemson. … Huard’s top pass catchers, Alexander and Tinae, are both on pace to finish their careers with more than 3,500 receiving yards should they play their final season for the Lancers this spring. Alexander is also on pace to hit 50 career touchdowns. Tinae will join Huard at UW, while Alexander will become a Pac-12 rival of his two teammates at Arizona State. … Kennedy Catholic and Mater Dei are two of 16 schools that has multiple players on this year’s Western 100 list, but the only two with multiple receivers — all of whom are headed to the Pac-12. The tight ends group has teammates from Colorado’s Heritage, while the defensive backs group has a pair of cornerbacks from California’s Loyola.
TIGHT ENDS (8)
Brock Bowers, 6-3/225, Napa, Calif. (Napa)
Enrolled at: Georgia
Terrance Ferguson, 6-5/230, Littleton, Colo. (Heritage)
Signed to: Oregon
Sam Hart, 6-5/225, Aurora, Colo. (Cherokee Trail)
Signed to: Ohio State
Gunnar Helm, 6-5/225, Englewood, Colo. (Cherry Creek)
Signed to: Texas
Moliki Matavao, 6-6/240, Henderson, Nev. (Liberty)
Signed to: Oregon
Erik Olsen, 6-5/230, Littleton, Colo. (Heritage)
Signed to: Colorado
Jermaine Terry, 6-4/235, Richmond, Calif. (Kennedy)
Signed to: California
Isaac Vaha, 6-7/230, Pleasant Grove, Utah (Pleasant Grove)
Signed to: Utah
Scouting report: This is a big year for tight ends in Colorado. “Maybe there’s just something in the Colorado water,” Olsen told The Denver Post back in October. There must be. The state has four players in this group, and all of them are consensus top-35 tight ends in the country, ranked a four-star recruit by at least one major service and headed to Power Five schools. Ferguson, a reliable pass catcher who racked up nearly 2,400 receiving yards in his four high school seasons and 25 total touchdowns, had his choice of colleges as the state’s top tight end, and made his pledge to the Ducks last summer. His teammate, Olsen, a solid blocking tight end who still collected more than 900 receiving yards and 12 touchdowns in his three-year career, will stay home and play for the Buffaloes. Meanwhile, Hart, an undefeated state champion wrestler in 2019, will head to the Big Ten, and Helm will make his way to the Big 12. … Colorado has the deepest group in this class, but California’s Bowers is the top-ranked tight end in the West and the No. 2 tight end overall by 247Sports. Bowers was everywhere on the field for Napa in 2019 as a running back, wide receiver, tight end, linebacker and kick returner, and finished the season with 1,499 all-purpose yards and 18 total touchdowns, including more than 1,000 receiving yards. He was also a power forward in basketball. … Matavao is the consensus top player in Nevada in this class and tallied a career-best 123 receiving yards in helping Liberty to its first state championship in 2019, in what turned out to be his final high school game.
OFFENSIVE LINE (12)
Thomas Cole, 6-7/265, San Luis Obispo, Calif. (San Luis Obispo)
Enrolled at: UCLA
Jackson Light, 6-3/285, Draper, Utah (Corner Canyon)
Signed to: Oregon
Saia Mapakaitolo, 6-5/280, Mesa, Ariz. (Red Mountain)
Committed to: Minnesota
Jonah Miller, 6-6/260, Tucson, Ariz. (Sahuaro)
Signed to: Oregon
Mason Murphy, 6-5/290, San Juan Capistrano, Calif. (J Serra Catholic)
Signed to: USC
Owen Prentice, 6-3/295, Seattle, Wash. (O’Dea)
Signed to: Washington
Noah Pulealii, 6-3/310, Salinas, Calif. (Palma)
Signed to: UCLA
Josh Simmons, 6-6/280, La Mesa, Calif. (Helix)
Committed to: San Diego State
Kingsley Suamataia, 6-5/280, Orem, Utah (Orem)
Signed to: Oregon
Bram Walden, 6-4/270, Scottsdale, Ariz. (Saguaro)
Signed to: Oregon
Zereoue Williams, 6-8/250, Phoenix, Ariz. (Mountain Pointe)
Signed to: Utah
Trey Zuhn, 6-6/300, Fort Collins, Colo. (Fossil Ridge)
Enrolled at: Texas A&M
Scouting report: The Ducks won big here, scooping up four of the consensus top five linemen in the West, including Utah’s consensus top player in Suamataia and Arizona’s top player in 247Sports’ rankings in Walden. Suamataia is the headliner of the class, and heads to Eugene as the highest-rated offensive line recruit in Oregon’s program history. Yes, he’s rated even higher than fellow Utah high school product Penei Sewell, who is projected to be a high first-round NFL Draft pick this spring after dominating at left tackle in two seasons with the Ducks and winning the Outland Trophy in 2019. Suamataia, rated a five-star tackle by 247Sports and ESPN, won four consecutive state championships with Orem and did not allow a sack his senior season. Walden is another of the five consensus top-100 players in this class the Ducks have already signed, and blocked for a Saguaro rushing attack that averaged well over 200 yards per game each of his final three seasons. … Prentice, who broke up Oregon’s string of signings in this class by staying home with the Huskies, is the consensus top interior lineman in the West. A starter since his freshman season, Prentice has helped O’Dea to three consecutive state title game appearances and one win. The Fighting Irish have rushed for more than 12,000 yards in his three seasons. … Light, the top center in the nation in 247Sports’ rankings, and Miller round out the West’s consensus top five, and both signed with the Ducks. Light surely got even more exposure blocking for Dart — who will now be his rival in the Pac-12 — in the quarterback’s breakout season. He also went viral on Instagram last summer when he benched 425 pounds.
DEFENSIVE LINE (16)
Akili Calhoun, 6-4/245, Brentwood, Calif. (Liberty)
Signed to: California
Kaleb Elarms-Orr, 6-3/220, Hayward, Calif. (Moreau Catholic)
Signed to: California
Logan Fano, 6-4/230, Spanish Fork, Utah (Timpview)
Signed to: BYU
Korey Foreman, 6-4/265, Corona, Calif. (Centennial)
Signed to: USC
Josh McCarron, 6-4/215, Everett, Wash. (Archbishop Murphy)
Signed to: Virginia
Kuao Peihopa, 6-3/305, Honolulu, Hawaii (Kamehameha)
Signed to: Washington
Nathan Rawlins-Kibonge, 6-7/240, Portland, Ore. (Jefferson)
Signed to: Oklahoma
Tiaoalii Savea, 6-3/265, Las Vegas, Nev. (Desert Pines)
Signed to: UCLA
Jacob Schuster, 6-2/300, Olympia, Wash. (Tumwater)
Signed to: Minnesota
Quintin Somerville, 6-1/255, Scottsdale, Ariz. (Saguaro)
Enrolled at: UCLA
Jay Toia, 6-2/315, Simi Valley, Calif. (Grace Brethren)
Signed to: USC
J.T. Tuimoloau, 6-4/275, Sammamish, Wash. (Eastside Catholic)
Considering: Alabama, Ohio State, Oregon, USC, Washington
Voi Tunuufi, 6-2/280, Salt Lake City, Utah (East)
Signed to: Washington
Victory Vaka, 6-2/350, Westlake Village, Calif. (Westlake)
Considering: BYU, Colorado, Florida State, Michigan, Penn State, Vanderbilt
Derek Wilkins, 6-4/250, Rancho Santa Margarita, Calif. (Santa Margarita Catholic)
Signed to: California
Keanu Williams, 6-5/290, Clovis, Calif. (Clovis)
Signed to: Oregon
Scouting report: Who is the top recruit in the West this year? It depends who you ask. 247Sports ranks Tuimoloau as not only the top player in the region, but the No. 1 overall player in the country. Both Rivals and ESPN consider Foreman the best in the West. But, this much is clear — these two five-star strong-side defensive ends are in a class of their own. The last time 247Sports had a one-two strong-side defensive end punch like this at the top of its rankings? That would be back in 2013, when Robert Nkemdiche signed with Ole Miss and Chris Jones signed with Mississippi State. Both players were eventually drafted. Tuimoloau is the top uncommitted recruit in the nation, and will likely keep his final five schools — Alabama, Ohio State, Oregon, USC and Washington — guessing until later this spring after he plays out his senior season. He has no plans to announce on National Signing Day. He tallied 64 tackles and 11 sacks as a junior in pacing Eastside Catholic to back-to-back state titles. Foreman — who tallied 12 1/2 sacks in his three high school seasons — is the headliner of USC’s loaded recruiting class. … Southern California schools grabbed four of the consensus top five linemen in the class in Foreman and Toia, who will join the Trojans, and Savea and Somerville, who will play across town for the Bruins. … Rawlins-Kibonge heads to Oklahoma having played only 10 high school football games in his career. He was a high-major basketball recruit — and was at one point committed to play for WSU — before deciding to pursue football. In his one season playing for Jefferson, Rawlins-Kibonge showcased his speed and strength and hauled in 15 FBS offers before signing with the Sooners.
LINEBACKERS (13)
Devin Aupiu, 6-5/220, Oxnard, Calif. (Pacifica)
Enrolled at: Notre Dame
Keith Brown, 6-1/220, Lebanon, Ore. (Lebanon)
Signed to: Oregon
Ethan Calvert, 6-3/230, Westlake Village, Calif. (Oaks Christian)
Signed to: Utah
Raesjon Davis, 6-1/215, Santa Ana, Calif. (Mater Dei)
Considering: LSU, Ohio State, Oregon, USC, Vanderbilt
Jonah Ellis, 6-2/210, Moscow, Idaho (Moscow Senior)
Signed to: Utah
Jonathan Flowe, 6-1/200, Upland, Calif. (Upland)
Signed to: Oregon
Ma’a Gaoteote, 6-2/220, Las Vegas, Nev. (Bishop Gorman)
Signed to: Michigan State
Wynden Ho’ohuli, 6-3/220, Mililani, Hawaii (Mililani)
Committed to: Nebraska
Easton Mascarenas, 6-0/215, Mission Viejo, Calif. (Mission Viejo)
Signed to: Oregon State
Will Schweitzer, 6-4/220, Los Gatos, Calif. (Los Gatos)
Enrolled at: Notre Dame
Julien Simon, 6-2/221, Tacoma, Wash. (Lincoln)
Enrolled at: USC
Mason Tufaga, 6-1/210, Honolulu, Hawaii (St. Louis)
Enrolled at: Utah
Jaraye Williams, 6-3/200, Burien, Wash. (Kennedy Catholic)
Committed to: Louisville
Scouting report: Davis, the consensus top linebacker in the West, is one of three players in the nation’s consensus top 50 who remains uncommitted, joining Tuimoloau and Texas running back L.J. Johnson. Davis initially committed to LSU last year, but reopened his recruitment in December. The Trojans are rumored to be the favorite to snag the Southern California outside linebacker. Davis recently told 247Sports he was “a big USC fan” growing up. He plans to announce on National Signing Day. … Calvert has two older brothers who are already linebackers in the Pac-12. Bo Calvert is a starter at UCLA and Josh Calvert is on UW’s roster. But, Ethan Calvert is the highest-rated recruit of them all, and Utah’s top signee in this class. … Brown has long been considered the top player in Oregon in this class, and the Ducks kept him home. The physical inside linebacker had 63 tackles, a forced fumble and two recoveries as a junior while also rushing for more than 900 yards and 14 touchdowns. … Simon is the highest-rated recruit Lincoln — and Tacoma — has produced in the modern era and impressed from his freshman season on as one of the state’s most dynamic players. A threat in every phase, Simon finished his three seasons with the Abes with 10 interceptions — five returned for scores — nearly 3,000 all-purpose yards and 41 total touchdowns. By choosing USC, he also starts a sibling rivalry in the Pac-12 South with older brother Jayden, who is a defensive tackle at Colorado. The Trojans were the first Division I program to offer the younger Simon back in 2018. … Ho’ohuli rounds out the collection of consensus top-150 players nationally in this position group. He is also the top player in Hawaii in this class, and the first from the state to sign with the Cornhuskers out of high school since 1999. He may also have to travel the farthest of any recruit in this class to reach his next stop, with nearly 3,800 miles and the Pacific Ocean between his high school campus on O’ahu and Memorial Stadium in Lincoln. … Ellis was the top player in Idaho this year and continues his family’s legacy at Utah. His father, Luther Ellis, was an All-American defensive lineman for the Utes in the 1990s and a two-time Pro Bowler in the NFL.
DEFENSIVE BACKS (13)
Jeffrey Bassa, 6-3/200, Salt Lake City, Utah (Kearns)
Signed to: Oregon
Prophet Brown, 5-10/180, Elk Grove, Calif. (Monterey Trail)
Signed to: USC
Jaylin Davies, 6-1/165, Santa Ana, Calif. (Mater Dei)
Signed to: Oregon
Xamarion Gordon, 6-2/190, Downey, Calif. (Warren)
Signed to: USC
D.J. Harvey, 5-11/165, Chatsworth, Calif. (Sierra Canyon)
Signed to: Virginia Tech
Kaleb Higgins, 6-2/195, Folsom, Calif. (Folsom)
Signed to: California
Isaiah Johnson, 6-2/180, Playa Del Rey, Calif. (St. Bernard)
Committed to: Arizona State
Jamier Johnson, 6-0/170, Pasadena, Calif. (John Muir)
Signed to: Texas
Mitch Leigber, 6-1/205, Laguna Hills, Calif. (Laguna Hills)
Signed to: Stanford
Dyson McCutcheon, 5-10/165, La Puente, Calif. (Bishop Amat)
Signed to: Washington
Zakhari Spears, 6-2/180, Los Angeles, Calif. (Loyola)
Signed to: Washington
Steven Ortiz, 6-0/175, Goodyear, Ariz. (Desert Edge)
Signed to: Minnesota
Ceyair Wright, 6-1/175, Los Angeles, Calif. (Loyola)
Committed to: USC
Scouting report: The Trojans were the “clear winner” for Los Angeles native Wright, who is considered the top defensive back in the West. And not only because the cornerback could compete for playing time as a freshman. Picking USC also keeps him in the epicenter of the entertainment industry, where he’s already an established actor. While he’s preparing for his first college football season this summer, Wright will also be on the big screen, playing LeBron James’ son in Space Jam: A New Legacy. … USC also kept the West’s No. 2 defensive back, per 247Sports rankings, in state in Brown, who in addition to playing corner averaged 12.2 yards per carry as a running back and 20.2 yards per reception his junior year. The speedy corner had college offers on both sides of the ball, and was also a track standout at Monterey Trail. … USC’s impressive haul of six defensive backs in 2021 also includes Gordon, as well as Beavers, Bullock and Smith, who are listed as athletes by some recruiting services, but project as defensive backs in college. … Johnson, who moved to California from West Virginia to play his senior season, but missed out due to the COVID-19 pandemic, is another top-tier corner in the West, who also had Georgia, LSU, Oklahoma and USC listed in his top five schools. He committed to Arizona State in August, and is the top-ranked recruit in the Sun Devils’ class. … California’s 11 recruits in this group are the most at any position in this year’s Western 100.
ATHLETES (10)
Anthony Beavers Jr., 6-1/195, Harbor City, Calif. (Narbonne)
Enrolled at: USC
Denzel Burke, 6-0/190, Scottsdale, Ariz. (Saguaro)
Signed to: Ohio State
Calen Bullock, 6-2/175, Pasadena, Calif. (John Muir)
Signed to: USC
Raider Damuni, 6-2/190, Provo, Utah (Timpview)
Signed to: BYU
Devin Kirkwood, 6-3/175, Gardena, Calif. (Junipero Serra)
Signed to: UCLA
Will Latu, 6-2/220, Spanaway, Wash. (Bethel)
Signed to: Washington
Titus Mokiao-Atimalala, 6-1/170, Ewa Beach, Hawaii (James Campbell)
Committed to: UCF
Isaiah Newcombe, 6-1/185, Queen Creek, Ariz. (Casteel)
Signed to: UCLA
Eli Sanders, 6-0/190, Chandler, Ariz. (Chandler)
Committed to: Iowa State
Jaylin Smith, 5-11/180, Mission Hills, Calif. (Bishop Alemany)
Signed to: USC
Scouting report: Burke is the consensus top recruit in the West in this group and considered the No. 8 athlete nationally, and projects as a cornerback for the Buckeyes, but could just as easily play receiver. The two-way star reminds his coach at Saguaro of Byron Murphy, a former corner at the Scottsdale high school who went on to star for the Huskies in college before being drafted by the hometown Cardinals. … Bullock is the other top-tier player here as the consensus No. 9 athlete in the country. He projects as a safety for the Trojans after logging 45 tackles and six interceptions his junior season at John Muir. He added more than 900 receiving yards and eight touchdowns that year, while also handling kickoff and punt returns. … All of the recruits from California in this group opted to stay home. The three USC signees all project as defensive backs, and Kirkwood joins the Bruins as a corner. … Damuni projects as a safety and has been committed to BYU since the eighth grade. His dad was also a safety for the Cougars. … Sanders projects as a running back at Iowa State and rushed for nearly 1,400 yards and 23 touchdowns in pacing Chandler to a fifth consecutive state title in 2020. … Newcombe and Mokiao-Atimalala both project as receivers in college, while the Huskies will bring Latu in as an inside linebacker.
SPECIALISTS (4)
Cole Becker, 6-3/215, Rocklin, Calif. (Rocklin)
Signed to: Colorado
Josh Bryan, 6-0/190, Chatsworth, Calif. (Sierra Canyon)
Signed to: Notre Dame
Brenden Segovia, 6-2/185, Westlake Village, Calif. (Oaks Christian)
Committed to: UCLA
Hank Pepper, 6-2/200, Chandler, Ariz. (Chandler)
Signed to: Michigan State
Scouting report: Bryan has racked up the accolades during his high school years, and is considered the top kicker in the country by kicking guru Chris Sailer and top in the West by 247Sports. Per Sailer’s analysis, Bryan has 60-plus yard field goal range. He flipped from Colorado to the Fighting Irish in November. … Becker is the highest-rated kicker in the West by Kohl’s Professional Camps, and Sailer has him second in the West and fourth in the nation. Sailer’s analysis says Cole “has NFL type talent” and 60-plus yard field goal range. … Segovia is the only California specialist that will stay in state, and won’t have to venture far to join the Bruins. The No. 3 punter in the nation in Sailer’s rankings, and top in the West, averages 45-plus yards per punt, per Sailer’s analysis. Segovia was the West’s only All-American Bowl pick at a specialist position. … Pepper is ranked the top long snapper in the country by 247Sports and No. 2 nationwide in Kohl’s rankings. He also recorded 108 tackles in 10 games at linebacker for Chandler this season on the way to an undefeated record and the school’s fifth consecutive state title.
This story was originally published February 2, 2021 at 5:00 AM.
