Rivals recap: California

TORRANCE, Calif. - Five-star Mique Juarez proved once again why he's rated as the best prospect in the state after another strong two-way performance as Torrance (Calif.) North defeated Lawndale (Calif.) Leuzinger 28-14 on Friday night.

I was impressed with …

Let's start with Juarez. The 6-foot-3, 220-pound five-star plays quarterback (he has been compared with BYU quarterback Taysom Hill) ran for two scores and threw for another touchdown in the victory. That was basically an average night for Juarez, who came into Friday night's game with 45 total touchdowns.

The top-rated prospect in California is lethal on offense because he's so fast, so physical and nearly impossible to bring down in one-on-one situations. Juarez brushes off defenders like fleas, keeps his legs moving and powers over people. BYU and Oklahoma State are recruiting him to play quarterback (if he wanted to play that spot) and he has the talent to do it.

On Friday night, Juarez played safety and did a nice job but he will almost definitely move to linebacker at the next level. I compared Juarez to USC LB and former five-star Su'a Cravens but Juarez is much more physical at the same stage without that freakish ability to read plays before they happen.

Still, Juarez is as physical as any linebacker in this class and he brings the heavy hitting when he can - on offense or defense - all game long. After seeing him against Leuzinger, it only reinforced his ranking as a five-star and the top-rated prospect in California.

On the other side of the ball was three-star Utah commit Semisi Lauaki, who had a solid showing in a losing effort. All of 6-foot-4 and 240 pounds, Lauaki also played both ways (defensive end and tight end) and seemed more effective coming off the edge on defense.

The three-star overpowered the Torrance North offensive linemen at times and Lauaki also showed impressive speed to the outside. Lauaki was not afraid of physical play, either, as he got a good hit on Juarez once in the backfield and when he was around the ball made sure to get in an impactful hit.

Recruiting thoughts

Juarez is definitely going to be patient with the recruiting process now that he has de-committed from USC and is looking at all programs again. One other reason the five-star is going to be deliberate is that so many new programs are getting involved.

The Torrance North recruit said Alabama is getting much more interested and could visit the school soon along with Auburn, Florida, Oklahoma State and others. Juarez has not finalized any official visits yet and probably won't take any until after his senior season. He said he plans to commit at the U.S. Army All-American Bowl, which could put a time crunch on official visits.

Ohio State, Ole Miss and Oklahoma were three programs mentioned as strong possibilities for trips when the time comes. There is no question that UCLA and USC remain heavily involved in his recruitment as well. Nebraska seems to be slipping a little bit but Juarez is not counting out the Huskers yet by any means.

As for the local schools, Juarez said he has a great relationship with the UCLA coaching staff and especially with linebackers coach Scott White.

With USC's coaching search, the five-star said it's not a big factor who the Trojans hire, they will continue to stay under serious consideration and he'll make further decisions once that situation is settled.