With the 2018-19 school year approaching, Prep2Prep takes a look at some of the top football recruits in the Class of 2019 for each coverage area, with a small sampling of underclassmen at the end. This feature focuses on 20 of the top recruits within the North Coast Section. This is not a comprehensive list, and all athletes are listed in alphabetical order.
Daego Albert, El Cerrito
The 6-foot-1 safety holds a quartet of offers, which include Florida Atlantic, Idaho, Northern Arizona, and UNLV, while also gaining the attention of other Pac-12 and Mountain West schools.
Brad Archer, Livermore
An early Cal commit, Archer has also received offers from schools such as San Jose State, Nevada, Oregon State, and Fresno State. A top student, Ivy League programs from Brown, Columbia, and Dartmouth were also calling. The 6-foot-4 tight end is a true pro-style player at the position, able to help at the end of the line in the run game, but also able to threaten the middle of the defense with his route-running and ability to get the ball.
Jacob Bandes, Pittsburg
A high-energy guy on both sides of the ball, Bandes has also narrowed his final list down to eight schools, after being courted by programs across the country as one of the nation’s premier defensive tackles. His top eight schools right now are Cal, Illinois, Washington, Oregon, Colorado, Purdue, Ole Miss, and Florida, showing the range of his recruitment. He was last year’s BVAL Player of the Year.
Franklin Banks, El Cerrito
The younger brother of current Notre Dame offensive lineman Aaron Banks, Franklin has offers from both Cal and San Jose State. The 6-foot-1, 360-pound defensive tackle will anchor both sides of the ball for El Cerrito this coming season.
Dejon Benton, Pittsburg
Part of a loaded group of returners for the Pirates, the 6-foot-3, 275-pound defensive tackle recruit currently holds eight offers, which include Arizona, Washington State, Fresno State, UNLV, San Jose State, Hawaii, Idaho, and Sacramento State.
Mekel Ealy, Freedom
The 6-foot-2 speedster for the Falcons currently holds offers from UTEP, Wyoming, Montana State, and Northern Arizona. Ealy had 441 yards and five touchdowns through the air last fall, and is the team’s top returning receiver.
Isaiah Foskey, De La Salle
Foskey started getting offers even before his high school career started, so it is no surprise that he has over two dozen of them now. The 6-foot-5, 240-pound tight end recruit, who is also devastating on the defensive side of the ball, is being chased by such schools as Michigan, Penn State, Alabama, Cal, Clemson, Ohio State, LSU, USC, Notre Dame, Miami, and most of the remaining Pac-12 programs.
Tyler Garay-Harris, Bishop O’Dowd
The 6-foot-5, 230-pound defensive end recruit is one of the big reasons why so many people are looking forward to seeing O’Dowd in action this fall. With offers from Arizona State, Washington State, Utah, UNLV, Colorado State, and interest from multiple other Pac-12 and Mountain West schools, Garay-Harris is one of the rising defensive stars.
Willie Harts III, Pittsburg
Harts can and will do virtually anything on the field for the Pirates, and showcased his sub-11 speed in the 100 meters this past spring. He has interest from schools across the West Coast, and holds offers from programs such as Cal, Arizona State, Nevada, Oregon State, Washington State, and Colorado State.
Giles Jackson, Freedom
After a flurry of offers started coming his way from around the country, especially after some head-turning performances early in the off-season, the Freedom standout has narrowed his list down to four schools, which include Michigan, USC, Oregon, and Oregon State. Jackson is one of the top all-purpose offensive threats in Northern California, able to score from anywhere on the field, and extends that threat to the return game.
BJ Johnson, Montgomery
The 6-foot-3 Johnson was an impact player on both sides of the ball last year for the Vikings, and could potentially play either side in college. Last year, he racked up 817 yards and nine touchdowns receiving, but also notched 68 tackles with five tackles for a loss and an interception on defense. He holds offers from schools such as New Mexico, San Jose State, Wyoming, UC Davis, Sacramento State, Air Force, and Nevada, with interest from others across the West Coast.
Austin Jones, Bishop O’Dowd
After piling up close to 30 offers from top schools around the country, Jones made his early commitment to Stanford. Already a three-time All-NCS selection, the 5-foot-10 running back could crack the 5,000-yard mark for his career in the first game of the 2018 season, sitting at 4,897 yards after his first three years.
Makai Polk, El Cerrito
The 6-foot-4 receiver/defensive back standout should be an immediate impact player for an athletically loaded El Cerrito team this fall, after transferring from Dorsey-Los Angeles. Polk has offers from such schools as Cal, Oregon, Oregon State, Tennessee, UTEP, and Fresno State, among others.
Tristan Sinclair, San Ramon Valley
Sinclair’s recruiting stock has skyrocketed over the past off-season, and has over 20 of the top programs in the nation vying for his services. The two-way impact player for the Wolves displays great range from his strong safety position, able to defend the pass, roam across the field, and yet walk down into the box and become a run support defender off the edge. He could also be a top running back in the area. Top schools who have extended offers include Cal, Stanford, Notre Dame, Nebraska, USC, and most of the remaining schools in the Pac-12. His academic side also shows with offers from Air Force, Duke, Princeton, Vanderbilt, Harvard, and Columbia.
Jaden Tauanu’u, Pittsburg
Tauanu’u’s recruitment began with an offer from Utah State prior to his sophomore season, and since then he has added offers from Arizona, San Jose State, and Howard. The 6-foot-3 outside linebacker recruit is also a standout tight end for the Pirates, utilizing skills as both a blocker and receiver.
Blake Thorpe, Las Lomas
The athletic 6-foot-3 receiver also displayed his toughness by working the post during basketball season, and has a wide array of programs competing for his services at the next level. A top academic guy, Thorpe holds offers from schools such as Holy Cross, Army, Air Force, and UC Davis, but also has the attention of other FBS programs such as UNLV, Oregon State, and San Jose State.
Henry To’oto’o, De La Salle
With a couple dozen offers from top schools around the country, To’oto’o has narrowed his decision list to eight schools, with Cal, Alabama, Washington, Tennessee, Oregon, Notre Dame, Florida, and USC still in the running. The 6-foot-2, 210-pound outside linebacker recruit racked up 101 tackles with seven sacks last season, and was the Prep2Prep NCS Junior of the Year. He is also one of De La Salle’s featured running backs.
Sione Vaki, Liberty
A pure playmaker last fall for the Lions, Vaki saw his recruiting stock take off right after the season. He now holds over a dozen offers, some of which include Tennessee, Boston College, Oklahoma State, Washington State, USC, and Utah.
Tyler Van Arden, Maria Carrillo
The 6-foot-3, 215-pound fullback for the Pumas holds seven offers, and displayed breakaway speed in the spring, when he ran on Maria Carrillo’s Redwood Empire champion 4x100 meter relay team and also finished third in the 200 meters, in 22.16 seconds. His offers include Wyoming, Fresno State, San Jose State, Utah State, and Hawaii.
Jhasi Wilson, De La Salle
The 6-foot-1 outside linebacker has offers from schools such as Arizona State, San Jose State, Utah State, Nevada, and Air Force, along with a handful of Ivy League programs. The rangy defender is part of a defensive unit expected to be among the state’s best this year.
Five underclassmen to keep an eye on, class of 2020 . . .
Dejuan Butler, Antioch
One of the rising stars in the BVAL, Butler was the league’s 200 meter champion in the spring, and the defensive back recruit already holds offers from Cal and Howard.
Jay Butterfield, Liberty
The 6-foot-6 Butterfield took over as the undisputed starter for the Lions in the final game of the regular season last year, and has not looked back since, leading them to four straight victories and a section title to close out his sophomore campaign. Since then, schools from across the country have come calling, and his early offers include Michigan, Cal, Tennessee, Iowa State, Washington State, Arizona State, and Colorado.
Fresh Ison, Moreau Catholic
A rising star on the gridiron and the hardwood, Ison holds an offer from Howard, but has started to gain the attention of others across the West Coast. His older brother, Jullen, plays at Northern Colorado.
Jamar Sekona, Marin Catholic
Sekona was the Prep2Prep NCS Sophomore of the Year last fall, and he followed up a standout year on the gridiron by also capturing the NCS Redwood Empire shot put title, with a heave of 52’ 4.5”. The 6-foot-3, 305-pound defensive tackle holds offers from Cal, USC, Arizona State, Oregon State, and San Jose State, with interest heating up from plenty of others.
Sterling Stokes, Bishop O’Dowd
Simply put, watch for Stokes’ stock to rise this season. The 6-foot-4 tight end has garnered interest across the West Coast, but could see that skyrocket with a larger role in the Dragons’ attack this fall, especially with a chance to display his athleticism in the passing game.
