Gorney's Takeaways: High school season begins in California
The high school football season in California has finally started and during the first two weekends I have seen powerhouses Bellflower (Calif.) St. John Bosco and Santa Ana (Calif.) Mater Dei in person. Here are some takeaways.
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FIVE-STAR CHECKUP: The latest on all of the 2022 five-stars
CLASS OF 2021 RANKINGS: Rivals250 | Position | Team | State
CLASS OF 2022 RANKINGS: Rivals250 | Position | Team | State
COVERAGE: Rivals Transfer Tracker | Rivals Camp Series
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RALEEK IS SO FUN TO WATCH
When Raleek Brown has the ball in his hands, he just looks different than every other running back. He’s so start-and-stop, so shifty, so elusive and so dynamic that it’s hard to describe unless you watch clips of him in person. It looks like he’s going nowhere and then he escapes and picks up big yards. The Oklahoma commit is swarmed by defenders and then happens to shake them all off to get the first down. He’s electric by nature, not someone who has to dance and waste steps in the backfield but someone who always gets the extra yardage and even for his size is tough to tackle. The top-ranked all-purpose back in the 2022 class, Brown has dynamic ability that’s rare to see but so fun to watch.
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DAVIS ALWAYS IN THE RIGHT SPOT
When Raesjon Davis was committed to LSU there was some consternation about whether he could handle the physicality of that conference since he’s not the biggest linebacker in the 2021 class but now that he’s signed with USC, that’s no longer an issue. And what I saw from Davis on Friday night is what makes him so special: The four-star prospect has an uncanny knack for always being in the right place at the right time to make a play. That’s why when a pass was tipped at the line, Davis was right there to pick it off and return it for a touchdown. Or why Davis was always around the tackle, like usual. The four-star linebacker is just an outstanding playmaker who is always one step ahead and it’s really impressive to watch.
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HARVEY COULD HELP BOTH WAYS
DJ Harvey signed with Virginia Tech and it’s a huge win for the Hokies over many Pac-12 programs because Harvey is fast. Like, really fast. With the ball in his hands as a slot receiver, Harvey blew by a very athletic and agile Bellflower (Calif.) St. John Bosco secondary. In space, he’s great and it would not be surprising if Justin Fuente finds a way to use him on offense or special teams. One rule is to always put your best athletes at defense and that’s why Harvey might have a long-term future at cornerback but with his speed and playmaking ability, it might be hard to keep him away from the offensive meeting rooms, too.
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WOOTEN, SWANSON LOOK GREAT
Kenji Swanson is all of 6-foot-7 and 310 pounds and looked great during the pre-game but did not play in the season opener for Chatsworth (Calif.) Sierra Canyon which was disappointing but Michael Wooten was definitely a standout. The three-star offensive lineman with offers from Arizona State, Colorado, Oregon and UNLV definitely outplayed his ranking, he’s nimble at 6-foot-6 and 280 pounds, plays through the whistle, likes to mix it up, can move well and really was impressive against a talented Bosco defensive front. It’s very surprising he doesn’t have double-digit offers by now.
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UIAGALELEI IS REALLY INTRIGUING
He’s 6-foot-5 and 245 pounds and only a sophomore in high school who has an advanced feel for playing defensive end, good speed off the edge and is a very capable tight end as well with impressive hands who can move the chains. Matayo Uiagalelei is not only D.J.’s little brother now, he’s making his own mark on the football field and even though he still needs to develop that killer instinct sometimes, he’s getting there and should continue to improve with more time on the field. With that size and that athletic ability, that’s a good mold to start teaching. Ohio State and Notre Dame recently offered and he will be one to watch in the coming years.
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BOSCO LINEMEN ARE MASSIVE
Not only is Earnest Greene just massive at 6-foot-5 and 330 pounds, he’s playing left tackle for Bosco and all game long just looks for people to knock around and to dominate physically each time the ball is snapped. I do think he moves inside at the college level - just like Wyatt Davis played tackle at Bosco before moving to guard at Ohio State - but that’s fine because physicality and toughness are Greene’s strengths. USC signee Maximus Gibbs is listed at 6-foot-7 and 338 pounds but he looks bigger on both accounts. Definitely a guard in college, Gibbs is absolutely massive but does move well along the offensive line for his size but probably needs to trim up even more to play in a fast-paced college system like at USC.
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NO. 1 CORNERBACK DEBATE CONTINUES
Outside of a personal foul penalty that kept a JSerra Catholic drive alive, Domani Jackson was terrific Friday night but also largely untested as no one really threw his way because he was locking up receivers. The nation’s No. 1 receiver could have had an interception but that didn’t happen and otherwise he looked effortless out there, like he’s almost too good for what he’s facing in high school football right now. But the debate for No. 1 cornerback will continue because across the country Jacksonville (Fla.) Robert E. Lee’s Jaheim Singletary is long and athletic and has had a terrific offseason and five-star Denver Harris from Houston (Texas) North Shore is phenomenal as well.