The loss of many off-season camps has kept many prospects under-the-radar who otherwise would have emerged in the last few months. Further uncertainty around the upcoming high school football season means some may continue to be overlooked. Here are five prospects from the West region who deserve more recognition than they are currently receiving.
MORE IN THIS SERIES: Five hidden gems from the Southeast | Midwest | East Coast
CLASS OF 2021 RANKINGS: Rivals250 | Position | Team | State
CLASS OF 2022: Top 100
MORE: Rivals Transfer Tracker
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Before the COVID-19 shutdown, the Los Angeles Rivals Camp was allowed to take place and Al-Uqdah turned in an impressive performance. He was excellent in coverage, he ran with every receiver and he also made an impressive one-handed interception on a deep route. Still, the Harbor City (Calif.) Narbonne linebacker lists offers from only Kansas, New Mexico, USC and Washington. If he had an entire offseason to show off his skills at linebacker, it would be no surprise if the 2022 prospect had double-digit offers at this point.
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Over the last few months, Barkate has landed offers from Arkansas, Kansas, Nebraska, Purdue, Utah, Virginia Tech and others, but based on his performance at the L.A. Rivals Camp, more should be in already. The 2022 receiver was dynamic, unstoppable in one-on-ones, got open against almost everybody and made some really tough catches look easy. In a spread system, Barkate has all the tools to put up huge numbers. He’s now at Mission Viejo, so more exposure will be coming his way, but if more colleges saw him through the spring his offer list would be even more impressive.
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Carnell is one of those prospects that isn’t very tall and isn’t all that physically imposing, but he can burn by any defensive back, he can stretch the field, he’s a nightmare in the slot and is capable of highlight-reel plays. The three-star receiver is just a lot of fun to watch in space and his recruitment could have really gone in a whole lot of directions if coaches could have seen him compete against other top-level competition. In April, Carnell committed to Northern Arizona, and it’s one of the biggest steals so far in the West region this recruiting cycle.
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Lighon participated in the Winner’s Circle Showcase recently and he’s an impressive-looking prospect. All of 6-foot-3 and 230 pounds, the three-star looks like a future defensive end who can play in space. He’s thick, fast, moves well and definitely had an impressive performance at that event. Every spring there are prospects who get major offers because of how they look on the hoof, and I’d expect a lot of coaches would have taken a shot on Lighon based on appearance alone.
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The 2022 weakside defensive end is one of the more interesting prospects in the West region because of his length and athleticism. In many ways, he looks like a small forward in basketball with long arms, a skinny frame and bouncy athletic ability. It will be interesting to see if he can keep gaining weight, but there’s no doubt he’s what a lot of college coaches are looking for in that hybrid position: someone who can rush off the edge or drop back in coverage. Colorado, FAU, Florida State, Kansas, LSU and Tennessee have offered, but once coaches see more of him in person they could fall in love.
