West Spotlight: Five prospects poised to emerge
The Spring Evaluation Period opens on April 15 and college coaches will once again be on the road scouting high school prospects at their schools. Here are five class of 2020 prospects from the West region who may be under the radar now, but should see their offer lists expand with Power Five offers in the coming weeks.
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Gilliam has been outstanding on the high school level and this offseason the three-star receiver has shown flashes of greatness in camps and on the busy 7-on-7 circuit. Still, the Gardena (Calif.) Serra recruit has not seen his recruitment become as busy as expected. Gilliam is expected to visit Kansas this weekend and said earlier this spring that Arizona State definitely caught his attention. He has six total offers, but Gilliam is playing like a receiver who should definitely have more Pac-12 looks.
Right around the holidays, Darick Holmes of Pro Way talked highly of Humphrey and said he would be one of the more special prospects coming out of Pasadena this recruiting cycle. That turned out to be true. The long, rangy athlete who projects at receiver shined at the All-American Combine in San Antonio and then he’s looked great on the camp and 7-on-7 circuit over the last few months. The Pasadena (Calif.) Muir recruit only has offers from Oregon and Southern Miss so far, but through the spring evaluation period and into his senior season it wouldn’t be surprising at all to see his offer list take off.
The adidas West Coast Invitational was one of the most loaded events this offseason, but Hunter did not get lost in the shuffle. Instead, he dominated a high-ranked cornerback in one of their games and then made many other impressive catches throughout the tournament. Hunter has length, excellent hands and he’s a physical receiver who can make tough grabs in a crowd. Cal, Fresno State, Nevada, San Jose State and Utah have offered so far, but one look at Hunter through spring ball or especially tape of any event where he competes, and many more coaches could easily get interested. From his performance at the adidas event, Hunter proved he could be one of the sleeper receivers in this class.
Norman-Lott was one of the best-looking defensive linemen at the Rivals 3 Stripe Camp presented by adidas in Los Angeles this spring. He is a massive, wide-bodied but also aggressive and quick prospect who showed well during the one-on-one portion of camp. Lott has the power and toughness to play inside but he can also bounce outside and beat some offensive tackles. It is a surprise that only Arizona, Arizona State and Boise State have offered because he has the ability to be a top priority for many Pac-12 programs. The spring could see his offer list get much longer.
Reed is one of the best-looking linebackers in this class not only in the West region but nationally. He has size, length and he looks chiseled out of granite. Plus, he can play. The Chandler, Ariz., three-star prospect looked really good in a game last season against Corona (Calif.) Centennial and then he’s been great on the camp and 7-on-7 circuit this offseason. His recruitment is going well with seven offers from Arizona, Indiana, Nebraska, UCLA, Washington State, Wisconsin and Yale but he could see things go through the roof once college coaches get on his campus this spring. He looks great and he’s talented on the field. The prediction is that many more offers are coming.