With the 2019-20 school year approaching, Prep2Prep takes a look at some of the top football recruits in the Class of 2020 for each coverage area, with a small sampling of underclassmen at the end. This feature focuses on 25 of the top recruits within the North Coast Section. This is not a comprehensive list, and all athletes are listed in alphabetical order.
Osaro Aihie, San Leandro
A two-way impact player for the Pirates, Aihie had 76 tackles and a pair of sacks from his linebacker spot last season, which is where he is being recruited. He also ran for 569 yards and seven touchdowns. He has nearly a half-dozen offers, including Air Force, Navy and Portland State.
Jalen Apalit-Williams, Las Lomas
Apalit-Williams has seen his recruiting stock rise this off-season, with most schools looking at him as a safety. For the Knights, however, he is a two-way standout as a defensive back and receiver. He has a half-dozen offers right now, including San Jose State, UTEP and Colorado State.
Dejuan Butler, Antioch
Butler received nearly a dozen offers, including UCLA and Boise State, before making an early verbal commitment to Cal. The speedy cornerback, who was the BVAL 200 meter champion as a sophomore in 2018, also figures to be a key part of the Panthers’ receiving corps in his final high school season.
Jay Butterfield, Liberty
The 6-foot-6 prototype signal-caller had interest from across the country before making his verbal commitment to Oregon. He threw for nearly 3,300 yards and 43 touchdowns as a junior, and had offers from schools such as Michigan, Tennessee, Arizona State and Arizona.
Grant Daley, De La Salle
The 6-foot-2 wideout averaged a whopping 35.8 yards per catch last season, racking up 645 yards and six scores on just 18 catches. He has offers from Columbia, Fordham, UC Davis and William & Mary.
Jayden Davis, Bishop O’Dowd
The 6-foot-2 safety had 85 tackles as a junior for the Dragons, and holds offers from a half-dozen programs, including all three service academies, plus Nevada.
Sam Fonongaloa, Pittsburg
It seems like none of these lists are ever complete without a Pittsburg lineman, and this 6-foot-1, 290-pound guard is a dominant force on the inside. He holds offers from Air Force and Army.
Shamar Garrett, De La Salle
Garrett may be undersized at 5-foot-7, but there is no doubting his tremendous ability, and recruiters have seen the same thing, with offers coming in from schools such as Air Force, New Mexico, San Jose State and Sacramento State. As a junior, Garrett ran for 1,076 yards and nine touchdowns in an offense which spreads the wealth.
Gavin Hals, Montgomery
The 6-foot-5, 290-pound interior offensive lineman holds offers from Howard and William & Mary, while generating interest from multiple larger schools who will watch and see how he anchors the Vikings’ run game this fall.
Grant Harper, Campolindo
Harper gave his early commitment to UC Davis, with another formal offer from Montana State, after a junior season in which he completed 61 percent of his passes for 2,932 yards and 32 touchdowns, with just six interceptions.
Jalen Henderson, De Anza
The six-foot receiver/safety and dual-sport athlete for the Dons holds offers from UC Davis and William & Mary. He figures to get touches and get moved around a bit this fall, especially with his ability from the slot.
Fresh Ison, Moreau Catholic
The younger brother of current Northern Colorado running back Jullen Ison has seen a similar path with his own recruiting. He has offers from Northern Colorado, William & Mary and Howard, but will surely see more if he even approaches the numbers from his junior year, when he rushed for 2,093 yards and 32 touchdowns.
Elijah Lawson, Stellar Prep
The 6-foot-2 safety/outside linebacker hybrid is the latest Division I recruit for the Thunder, having given his early verbal commitment to San Jose State.
Mason Mastrov, Campolindo
The 6-foot-5 athletic end had offers from over a dozen schools before announcing his verbal commitment to SMU. Offers included Air Force, Navy, San Jose State, Wyoming, Cal Poly, Northern Arizona and Eastern Washington for the rising senior who had 17 sacks as a junior and has turned heads at multiple combines in the off-season.
Marcus Miller, Castro Valley
The 6-foot-4, 270-pound offensive lineman has a half-dozen offers and is an integral piece of the Trojans’ Wing-T approach. Offers currently include Hawaii, Nevada, Utah State, Sacramento State and San Jose State.
Colin Moroney, San Ramon Valley
The 6-foot-5, 285-pound offensive tackle paved the way for the Wolves’ dominant run game last fall, helping lead to the NCS Division I title. He has over a dozen offers, most from academically prestigious schools such as Brown, Cornell, Princeton, Harvard and Yale, to name a handful.
Isaiah Newell, Las Lomas
Newell racked up over 2,500 yards from scrimmage last fall for the Knights, and his performance did not go unnoticed, with 16 offers in hand so far for the rising senior back. The 6-foot-3 Newell holds offers from schools such as Oregon, Oregon State, USC, Arizona State and Arizona. He has narrowed down his final three choices to Arizona State, Oregon State and USC.
Calel Olicia-Aramboles, California School for the Deaf
The rising senior for the Eagles does not yet hold any formal offers, but has interest from multiple programs on the West Coast, and for good reason. In his first three years, he has rushed for 3,634 yards and 44 touchdowns, added three receiving touchdowns and racked up over 100 tackles. He is also the reigning Bay Area Conference champion in the shot put and discus, with a personal-best over 55 feet in the shot and 164 feet in the discus.
Jacob Oliphant, Monte Vista
The undersized Oliphant scored all three of his touchdowns on special teams or defense last year, returning a punt, kickoff and interception for scores. His explosiveness in the return game and his sub-4.4 speed in the 40 yard dash could translate to more touches as a receiver and back this year, and he holds an offer from Air Force.
Jackson Pavitt, Cardinal Newman
Easily one of the top dual-threat quarterbacks in Northern California, the 6-foot-1 Pavitt accounted for over 3,000 yards and 41 touchdowns from scrimmage last year. He has yet to receive any formal offers, but has generated interested from multiple schools and could be recruited as an athlete on either side of the ball – as a sophomore playing safety, he racked up 54 tackles and an interception.
Nate Rutchena, Monte Vista
One of the top dual-sport athletes in the section, Rutchena can play on either side of the ball at the next level, as a receiver or defensive back. He had 716 yards and seven touchdowns receiving last year to go with 46 tackles and five interceptions. The 6-foot-3 athlete has offers from schools such as Cal, Nevada, Wyoming and Air Force.
Jamar Sekona, Marin Catholic
Sekona has been a rising star for some time, and his offers underscore that point. The 6-foot-3, 300-pound athletic interior lineman holds offers from top programs such as USC, UCLA, Oregon, Nebraska, Utah, Arizona State and Cal. He was the MCAL Defensive Player of the Year as a junior.
Patrick Selna, Piedmont
The 6-foot-6 Selna will captain the Highlanders in the 2019 season and also holds a half-dozen offers for the next level. The offensive tackle holds offers from schools such as New Mexico State, San Jose State, Hawaii and Nevada.
Sterling Stokes, Bishop O’Dowd
The 6-foot-4 Stokes missed the first part of last season while recovering from injury, but made an impact in the six games he did play with 18 catches for 323 yards. He is nearing double-digits in offers, including Florida International and Air Force, while his combined academic prowess has made him a favorite target of Ivy League programs, with offers from Harvard, Princeton, Yale, Penn and Dartmouth.
Colton Vardell, Bishop O’Dowd
The 6-foot-5 end and son of former Stanford great Tommy Vardell was a force off the edge for the Dragons last season with 78 tackles, including six tackles for a loss, and six sacks. He has offers from New Mexico and the University of San Diego, with building interest from schools in the Pac-12.
Five to watch in the Class of 2021
Brock Bowers, Napa
The Grizzlies may have struggled last year on the gridiron, but that has not slowed down the pace at which Bowers is receiving offers from top programs in the country. The 6-foot-3 tight end already has offers from schools such as Cal, USC, UCLA, Tennessee, Utah and Nebraska.
Akili Calhoun, Liberty
The rangy end for the Lions has seen his recruiting stock skyrocket this off-season, garnering a quartet of offers from Pac-12 schools already, with Arizona, Arizona State, Washington State and Oregon State all extending scholarships.
Kaleb Elarms-Orr, Moreau Catholic
The 6-foot-4 defensive end is still waiting for his first official offer, but if he exceeds his sophomore campaign, they will likely be coming in bunches. In his first varsity season, Elarms-Orr had 87 tackles, including nine tackles for a loss, and 19 sacks.
Lu-Magia Hearns, De La Salle
The 5-foot-11 speedster has been tagged as one of the top players to watch in his class, after averaging 20 yards per catch as a sophomore on the Spartans’ varsity last year.
Jermaine Terry, Kennedy-Richmond
Terry already holds offers from across the Pac-12 and the SEC, being recruited primarily as a tight end. He has yet to truly showcase his offensive skills for the Eagles, but as a sophomore showed his versatility with 61 tackles, including 13 tackles for a loss, from his defensive end spot. He has offers from schools such as Alabama, LSU, Florida, Oregon, UCLA, Tennessee and Cal.
