Advertisement
football Edit

From the road: California

Advertisement
Recruiting wrap: Lovette is committed to Oregon.
Performance: Lovette was the biggest playmaker all weekend -- in more ways than one. The four-star Oregon commit was most effective lining up in the slot and then slicing and dicing Clayton Valley Charter's defense by catching passes over the middle. His speed and elusiveness made him basically unstoppable. What was especially impressive was when Lovette caught a short crossing route and then burned everybody down the sideline for a 45-yard score. He lined up at running back occasionally, but he was most dominant in the slot and making catch after catch. In Oregon's offense, Lovette should be a phenomenal addition because in space with his size and speed, special things could happen. He rushed for two scores from Wildcat and had nine catches for 154 yards and a TD.
3
WR
Javon McKinley (2016)
Corona (Calif.) Centennial
Recruiting wrap: Notre Dame, Oregon, USC, UCLA and many others have offered.
Performance: There is an abundance of outstanding receivers in California's 2016 class and McKinley proved once again he should be considered among the best. The four-star took a screen pass 87 yards untouched down the sideline for a touchdown. His second score was even more impressive. A ball was lofted to the end zone and instead of rushing his jump or pushing off, McKinley timed it up perfectly, the pass got tipped but he came down with it. His third TD came on a 92-yard kickoff return. The 2016 stud finished with six catches for 153 yards.
4
TE
Tyler Petite
Moraga (Calif.) Campolindo
Recruiting wrap: Petite is committed to USC.
Performance: Petite is a phenomenal route runner who has a real knack for finding the soft spots in zones. The USC commit who recently flipped from Duke has outstanding, reliable hands and everything thrown to him is caught. He's also fast and can get down the field quickly on deep routes. Petite almost had two beautiful TD catches including a one-handed grab in the back of the end zone, but both times he just came down on the line. He finished with a game-high seven catches for 102 yards. The four-star needs to be more physical at times but that's a minor critique at this point.
5
TE
Devin Asiasi (2016)
Concord (Calif.) De La Salle
Recruiting wrap: USC is considered to have a slight edge but UCLA, Washington, Arizona State, Tennessee and others have offered.
Performance: It is sometimes difficult to evaluate Asiasi as a tight end because De La Salle runs the veer offense and rarely throws, but the four-star prospect still had an impressive performance in other ways. The 2016 standout had some fierce blocks in the run game and there's no doubt he's super powerful now at 6-foot-5 and 253 pounds. Asiasi also plays defensive end and he did a nice job getting to the edge and putting pressure on the quarterback. He scored on a later run while playing QB as well. In camp settings, Asiasi has shown the ability to catch as well as any tight end in the class.
6
DT
Boss Tagaloa (2016)
Concord (Calif.) De La Salle
Recruiting wrap: Alabama, California, Ole Miss, Tennessee, UCLA, Washington, Wisconsin and others have offered.
Performance: Tagaloa has added more good weight to his frame and he's become even tougher and more hard-nosed. At defensive tackle, the four-star prospect registered a sack in the first half and that's difficult because Corona Centennial runs its offense so fast. He's a nightmare to block up the middle and he keeps going play after play. He also plays on the offensive line and in the veer offense he's a mean blocker who imposes his will on defenders. It's easy to see why he's one of the more coveted linemen in the 2016 class.
7
OT
Jonah Williams (2016)
Folsom, Calif.
Recruiting wrap: Arizona, Cal, Utah, Washington and Washington State have offered so far.
Performance: Williams is being recruited as an offensive tackle, but he is also a tough, hard-nosed defensive lineman who had a sack and numerous stops along the line. Folsom held Oceanside to minus-16 yards on 22 carries in the first half. At offensive tackle, the 2016 four-star prospect is physical, he's a great run-blocker and he moves well. He had no problem moving up ad down the field quickly in Folsom's fast-paced offense.
8
TE
Jared Rice
Modesto (Calif.) Central Catholic
Recruiting wrap: UNLV, Wyoming, Idaho, Northern Arizona, Portland State and Sacramento State have offered so far. Fresno State is showing interest and could be his leader if it offers.
Performance: Rice was a difference-maker both ways and really played a major role in Central Catholic's comfortable 31-19 victory (two late scores closed the gap). The three-star prospect was a valuable asset at safety and he used his impressive athleticism to track down running backs and receivers to the sidelines. What really makes the 6-foot-5, 210-pound prospect special, though, is his pass-catching ability. Rice has excellent hands, runs great routes and is really smooth. He had two touchdown catches and finished with six catches for 73 yards, both game-highs.
9
DB
Je'Vari Anderson
Concord (Calif.) De La Salle
Recruiting wrap: Cal, Oregon State, Washington State and others have offered. He will take all his visits in January.
Performance: Anderson is a ball hawk in the secondary and he made a bunch of plays, including being involved in an interception that helped turn the game in De La Salle's favor. He missed the camp circuit this summer, but his recruitment could really pick up even more heading into January because he's a smart prospect who makes a lot of plays and definitely knows how to play the position.
10
OG
Cody Creason
Folsom, Calif.
Recruiting wrap: Creason is committed to Arizona.
Performance: Creason is an interior lineman all the way in college, but he plays offensive tackle for Folsom and does a really solid job in run and pass blocking. The 6-foot-3, 285-pound three-star prospect is gritty and physical when opening up running lanes (he also uses his hands really well to drive defenders) and he is agile enough to block down the field on screen passes. With Folsom running a wide-open spread offense at breakneck speed, Creason should adjust well to Arizona's system.
11
ATH
Jordan Miller
Oceanside, Calif.
Recruiting wrap: Miller is committed to Washington.
Performance: Miller is a long, athletic cornerback who uses his hands well and can keep stride for stride with receivers. The problem Friday night was that his Oceanside team was simply outmatched by a scoring machine in Folsom. The team from Northern California charged nearly unimpeded up and down the field in a 68-7 victory. None of that takes away from Miller's abilities, though, because his athleticism and playmaking ability could make him a nice contributor at Washington.
OTHER PROSPECTS
WR
Greyson Bankhead
Corona (Calif.) Centennial
Bankhead was relatively quiet as McKinley was the main focus in Corona Centennial's passing game, but the three-star Cal commit had a couple nice catches. His best reception came on a crossing route where he found some open space and went down the field for 50 yards. Other than that, he had only one catch, but he's still a reliable threat in the slot and should work in well in Cal's offense.
OG
Cedric Bigge-Duren
Oceanside, Calif.
Bigge-Duren is an interesting prospect because he's a 6-foot-7, 300-pounder who mainly plays offensive guard but he seems to have the footwork and agility to move to offensive tackle if needed. He does a nice job getting arm extension and uses his massive body to overpower blitzing linemen. The Washington State commit has made an argument for a three-star ranking.
QB
Brad Cagle
Lakeside (Calif.) El Capitan
Cagle is a solid, smart, gritty quarterback who just gets the job done. He's not going to light up scoreboards, but at a lower-level Division I school, he can provide a spark and the 6-foot-1, 200-pounder has a lot of moxie. Cagle finished 7 of 13 passing for 89 yards with two touchdowns and a pick in the loss. He kept a lot of drives alive by running out of the pocket and finding receivers down the field or running for extra yards. Cagle threw for about 2,700 yards and more than 30 TDs this season.
RB
Antoine Custer (2016)
Concord (Calif.) De La Salle
Custer was spectacular all night and really carved through Corona Centennial's defense. Sure, it was the blocking up front, but Custer did a lot of work on his own by bouncing off tackles and outrunning the secondary to the end zone. The 2016 prospect finished with 268 yards and four touchdowns on 31 carries and he also had a 95-yard kickoff return that set up a score. Custer is electric and does a great job following his blockers.
WR
Max Flower (2016)
Moraga (Calif.) Campolindo
Flower is committed to Cal for baseball, but he should seriously think about football as well because the 2016 prospect is talented. At 6-foot-4 and 200 pounds, the junior uses his body really well and has excellent hands. Flower caught two touchdowns and had five receptions for 52 yards in Campolindo's come-from-behind victory. On the season, he finished with more than 1,000 receiving yards and this is on a team with many other options at receiver.
RB
Miles Harrison
Concord (Calif.) Clayton Valley Charter
Maybe this is what will catch some college coach's eyes. Harrison is a jitterbug type of running back who sneaks by tacklers, dodges them and then explodes up the field for more yards. The listing at 5-foot-10 is a little generous, but his diminutive size actually makes him tougher to bring down and corral. He had 323 rushing yards and three touchdowns on 50 -- yes, 50! -- carries and finished the season with more than 2,400 yards and 30 touchdowns. Harrison also caught a 40-yard TD pass. He just kept going and going and going.
QB
Armando Herrera (2017)
Redlands (Calif.) East Valley
Herrera is young, but he plays with a lot of poise and conviction. In the biggest setting so far in his life, the sophomore completed 22 of 38 passes for 290 yards and two touchdowns. What was maybe most impressive is that late in the game with the score tight, Herrera sustained a drive and then hit Lovette on a nice pass down the seam to put it away. Herrera still needs to get bigger physically, but the 2017 recruit threw for nearly 4,000 yards this season, so there's no denying his talent.
OL
Daniel Juarez (2016)
Corona (Calif.) Centennial
Juarez has great size at 6-foot-5 and 270 pounds and he's physical and mean like many past Corona Centennial offensive linemen. The 2016 prospect already has an offer from Texas Tech and many others should be coming in because Juarez is light on his feet but is also powerful. He had a great block on McKinley's screen pass that went for a touchdown.
OL
Jalen McKenzie (2017)
Concord (Calif.) Clayton Valley Charter
McKenzie is an intriguing prospect for a multitude of reasons. First, his size is fantastic at 6-foot-5 and 288 pounds, especially since he's only a sophomore. Second, he's the brother of five-star Kahlil McKenzie and the son of Reggie McKenzie, the Oakland Raiders general manager, so he understands the dedication it takes to be great. He's far from a polished offensive tackle, but he blocks hard, uses his strength well and opens holes. The younger McKenzie is on his way.
QB
Hunter Petlansky (2016)
Modesto (Calif.) Central Catholic
Petlansky completed only about 50 percent of his passes coming into the state bowl championship, but he was sharp in the win. The 6-foot-3 junior completed 11 of 16 passes, threw two touchdowns to Rice and ran for a score as well. Petlansky looked especially good throwing on the run across his body even though at times he loosely carries the ball when he's forced out of the pocket.
ATH
Isaia Paopao (2016)
Oceanside, Calif.
Paopao had a nice return on a kickoff to set up good field position, he looked good at receiver and the 2016 prospect had a nice game at defensive back. The junior makes an impact in all three phases and Pac-12 schools should take notice. Paopao is someone who can contribute in any way needed.
RB
Justin Rice (2016)
Modesto (Calif.) Central Catholic
The junior running back had a fantastic season statistically, piling up more than 2,000 yards and 30 touchdowns and he didn't disappoint early in a 12-point win on Friday. He can get to the outside and had the luxury of running through some massive holes. Rice is a talented running back with good vision, but he didn't show incredible speed. He has been injured and didn't play the second half, so that could have explained his lack of burst.
RB
J.J. Taylor (2016)
Corona (Calif.) Centennial
Taylor is an electric, hard-charging and super fast running back who only needs a sliver to break big runs. The 2016 prospect is undersized though at 5-foot-6 and 155 pounds and that's why he maybe hasn't picked up any offers yet. But he's a mile-a-minute type of running back who regularly breaks off big runs and should get a shot someplace. He finished with 133 yards on 14 carries. Taylor rushed for nearly 2,000 yards this season.
DE
Sam Whitney
Folsom, Calif.
The 6-foot-3, 225-pound defensive end made two big plays for Folsom's defense early. On Oceanside's first play, Whitney aggressively tracked down a running play for a big loss and later did something similar as he broke through the line and made a tackle in the backfield. Sacramento State is his lone offer, but Whitney is talented. It's no surprise he had 13 sacks this season.
Adam Gorney
West Recruiting Analyst
Click Here to view this Link.
Advertisement