The recruiting spotlight shines bright at certain times of the calendar year and the beginning of the season fits the bill. We take a look at some of the top prospects sure to be in the spotlight, continuing the series with five prospects from across the West.
THIS SERIES: Midwest prospects on center stage when HS season kicks off | Southeast prospects | Mid-South prospects | Florida prospects
*****
CLASS OF 2025 RANKINGS: Rivals250 | Team | Position | State
CLASS OF 2026 RANKINGS: Rivals250 | Team | Position | State
TRANSFER PORTAL: Full coverage | Player ranking | Team ranking | Transfer search | Transfer Tracker
*****
There is chatter in some Southern California circles that Currie is drastically underrated and that he should push for arguably the top cornerback in the state rankings. Lancaster (Calif.) Quartz Hill is off the beaten path and doesn’t play an elite schedule but trekking out to see him again this season might be crucial to see if Currie can back up that talk.
The Texas A&M commit was definitely impressive at the Under Armour Camp in Los Angeles this offseason but because of track and other situations, Currie was not on the scene much.
Still, the four-star cornerback is highly respected. There is elite speed there, great coverage ability and the athleticism to go up and pick off passes or tip them away. We were hoping to see Currie more on the regional and national scene this offseason. That wasn’t the case but he could still be one of the best cornerbacks in the region and the country. This season will be crucial to see how he performs.
*****Â Â
Five-star running backs are rare and especially so in a world where that position is not being drafted often in the first round of the NFL Draft. Since rankings are pegged to expected college performance and draft position, keeping a running back on the five-star level means that player has to be extraordinarily special.
The Santa Ana (Calif.) Mater Dei standout rushed for more than 1,000 yards in his sophomore season and then last season he was the lead back but split carries with Georgia signee Nate Frazier and Ajon Bryant so his numbers were a little down.
Davison, who committed to Oregon over Alabama this summer after he parted ways with Ohio State, has been 230 or so pounds this summer so trimming up a little bit will be key but he was very impressive at the Rivals Five-Star this summer and position coach Brandon Jacobs compared Davison to Le’Veon Bell.
A big senior season can help solidify his five-star ranking.
*****Â Â
Longstreet had a big junior season at new school Corona (Calif.) Centennial but that’s an offense that virtually guarantees success and big numbers because of the way coach Matt Logan runs his system.
And then the Texas A&M four-star quarterback commit went out and delivered in a big way at the Elite 11 with some really impressive workouts. The question heading into his senior season - and hopefully an all-star game - is where should he finish nationally and especially in the quarterback rankings.
As we’ve learned over the last many months, there are some really special quarterbacks in this class and it could be a top-heavy group in the national rankings. Longstreet could be among that group and his senior season could solidify that.
*****Â Â
There is no arguing that Meadows is one of the best-looking receivers in the 2025 class and he plays on arguably the best team in the country at Las Vegas (Nev.) Bishop Gorman. But he was basically non-existent this offseason after a couple nice catches at the Battle Miami tournament as he nursed a hamstring injury.
Meadows is a huge outside target with great hands who committed to LSU over Notre Dame in recent weeks but he needs more production in his senior season since the most elite receivers can take over and dominate games.
We haven’t seen that from Meadows yet but he should have every opportunity to excel monumentally in his senior season as Gorman has a legit schedule against some great teams.
*****
Projecting offensive linemen is sometimes very difficult because if a prospect is maxed out physically he could be really impressive at the high school level but other players catch up to him in college and beyond.
Powell is not maxed out physically at 6-foot-5 and 285 pounds, he has great athleticism playing along the offensive line and there is a toughness there where when he gets over 300 pounds at Wisconsin that could really all come together.
There might not be a better program to develop offensive linemen than in Madison. The Phoenix (Ariz.) Brophy Prep four-star standout has all the tools and potential to be really special so over time, a lot of NFL offensive linemen had a frame like Powell so from a projection standpoint, he’s definitely one to watch.
