Buzz Worthy: Five West Coast prospects who are heating up
Prospects are on the road and offers are flying out left and right. Here is a look at five prospects from the West who have a lot of buzz heading into the spring.
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Egbuka is already the top-ranked receiver in the 2021 class, but he went to the Pylon Vegas tournament and absolutely torched everybody there, further proving his five-star ranking is valid. And now he’s heading back on the road for more visits.
The Steilacoom, Wash., standout was just at Oregon and he has a great relationship with coach Mario Cristobal, plus he loves what new offensive coordinator Joe Moorhead is doing with the offense. Huge trips are coming up, though, as Egbuka looks to visit Ohio State, Clemson and Oklahoma, definitely three of his favorites right now.
Farrell’s take: Egbuka is a special talent and many expect him to end up at Ohio State in the end, but his recruitment is far from over. He has a lot of great options and he will be recruited hard even after he is committed.
Currently ranked as a mid-level three-star, Jackson has been torching defensive backs this offseason whether at the Under Armour Camp or the Rivals Camp Series event along with numerous 7-on-7 competitions. He’s up to nearly 20 offers, he’s nearly impossible to cover in 1-on-1 settings and his recruitment is taking shape as well. Tennessee, Oregon, USC and many others remain involved early on.
Farrell’s take: Jackson has solid size, but what impresses is his route-running and his ability to set up receivers. He’s a West Coast kid who likely sticks on the West Coast. I could see him landing at USC.
The big news from Marchiol recently was not another major offer - he already has a bunch of those - but that he’s transferring from Colorado to Chandler (Ariz.) Hamilton for his junior season, which should ramp up his recruitment even more. Michigan has always been a program that has intrigued the lefty quarterback and playing for Mike Leach at Mississippi State and in the SEC could be something to watch. Marchiol still talks highly about a lot of programs and more could be in the mix with a big junior year.
Farrell’s take: As a 2022 prospect he’s a long way from deciding and he’ll get more offers playing at a bigger high school now, but you have to like the way Michigan has recruited him so far.
The four-star tight end from Henderson (Nev.) Liberty has 35 offers. But in the last few days, Matavao has narrowed his list to 10 with Oregon, Ohio State, Michigan, Washington, Miami, Georgia, UCLA, Penn State, Tennessee and LSU. The Bulldogs have to be considered high on his list as Matavao thinks highly of playing in the SEC plus teaming with fellow Vegas recruit Darnell Washington could be something to watch.
UCLA has a very good chance, Penn State is up there and he just visited Oregon as well. It’s going to be an interesting recruitment for Matavao, who is still taking his time in terms of a decision.
Farrell’s take: Matavao is far from a decision but tight ends sometimes need to make earlier choices because spots fill up. He’s a huge, athletic prospect who could end up anywhere and I don’t feel he’s locked into the West Coast even with interest in UCLA, Washington and others.
The buzz on Thompson is that after numerous performances this offseason including at the Rivals Camp Series event in Los Angeles, the four-star could be one of the best quarterbacks in this class and he could soon see his recruitment take off even more.
The Gilbert (Ariz.) Mesquite prospect has said Iowa, Iowa State, Cal and LSU stand out the most early in his recruitment. He visited with the Golden Bears on Wednesday and is expected to be at Oregon on Thursday. The Hawkeyes could definitely land his commitment, though, because he loves the offense there and how well they develop players for the NFL. Thompson could see a huge bump in the next round of rankings and also see things get busier in recruiting.
Farrell’s take: A lot will depend on who else jumps in here, but Iowa has the early buzz for the big, talented dual threat quarterback from Arizona. This kid can sling it and his spring performances are drawing the attention of many more programs.