West Spotlight: Cities that are surprising hotbeds of talent

Everyone knows Los Angeles is the epicenter of high school football talent in the West region but there are a lot of other locations that have produced elite players in recent years. Here is a look at five cities or towns that have pumped out a surprising number of standout recruits in recent years:

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When you’re in Honolulu, it feels like a massive American city filled with skyscrapers, traffic jams and busy streets. But in reality, there are only about 343,000 people who live there and that ranks the place No. 56 nationally, squeezed in between Anaheim, Calif., and Riverside, Calif.

But the Hawaiian city is filled with elite players often including Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa, Canton and Luke Kaumatule, Philadelphia Eagles offensive lineman Nate Herbig, four-star DL Scott Pagano, who played at Clemson and many others.

Washington OL pledge Kuao Peihopa and Utah linebacker commit Mason Tufaga are the top 2021 prospects from Honolulu this recruiting cycle. The state’s top receiver, Titus Mokiao-Atimalala, lives just west of Honolulu in Ewa Beach, just a few minutes from Pearl Harbor.

There are a lot of reasons to go to Las Vegas - the gambling, the shows, the food and it has definitely become a prime location for talented recruits.

Las Vegas Bishop Gorman has been the prime spot for elite prospects over the years and that remains true with 2022 four-stars Zion Branch and Cyrus Moss leading the way, but watch out for Las Vegas Desert Pines as another up-and-coming program. Desert Pines had five-star tight end Darnell Washington last season and he signed with Georgia. RB Jovantae Barnes, WR Michael Jackson and DE Tiaoalii Savea play there now. Top 2023 WR Deandre Moore could be a special one since he already has more than 20 offers.

There are a lot of surrounding suburbs like Provo, Orem and others that have pumped out elite players, but Salt Lake City, which has just over 200,000 people living there, placing the city between Huntsville, Ala., and Frisco, Texas, in terms of population, has been loaded with players for many years.

Former five-star DT Haloti Ngata is from there. So is current LSU defensive lineman Siaki Ika. Four-star WR Simi Fehoko and four-star OL Hunter Lotulelei are from Salt Lake as well. South Jordan, Utah, is another hotspot because of Bingham High School and the suburbs always have a lot of players but Salt Lake City continues to emerge as a city with outstanding players, especially along the offensive and defensive lines.

The state of Washington has always had its fair share of top talent and the 2020 recruiting class has made history as the first one with three five-stars in it. Set off to the east of Seattle is Sammamish, the home of Eastside Catholic High School, which is a must-stop for any college coach recruiting the area.

The school is always loaded with players and arguably its best-ever is there right now in five-star defensive end J.T. Tuimoloau, who has Ohio State, Alabama, Washington and others high in his recruitment. Top four-star WR Gee Scott, Jr., who signed with Ohio State, played there last year along with Detroit Lions tight end Hunter Bryant.

Although he didn’t pan out in college former five-star quarterback Max Browne starred at Sammamish (Wash.) Skyline.

The Phoenix area has long been a hotbed for recruiting talent and as more families move to the area, the players continue to get better and better, but it’s a suburb in the northeast section of the city that has become absolutely loaded with top players. And it’s mainly because of Scottsdale Saguaro High School and the massive amounts of players that come from there every year.

Five-star receiver Christian Kirk and five-star cornerback Kelee Ringo played at Scottsdale Saguaro. Oregon commit Bram Walden and Ohio State pledge Denzel Burke are there now. D.J. Foster starred there before a big career at Arizona State and now the NFL along with Byron Murphy and Jacobe Covington.

College coaches fly into Phoenix and then head right to the town of Scottsdale if they’re looking for elite players in the state of Arizona.