FRESNO, Calif. – The high school football starved fans of Northern and Central California, and even some SoCal fans got a long awaited dose of action with the highly successful inaugural National Preps Collegiate Showcase this past Saturday at Granite Park in Fresno.
Over 400 college hopefuls competed in non-contact drills with safety protocols in place to protect players, coaches, analysts, scouts and media allowed on the field, and parents and spectators watching behind the yellow tape and barriers.
For most of the players this was their first on-field exposure to potential colleges since a Rivals camp in March.
The players were broken down into positions like most camps and showcases, and also pods for social distancing due to Covid protocols.
A preponderance of the attendees were from the CIF Central Section and CIF Sac-Joaquin Section, but the MVPs chosen by the National Preps showcase staff and coaches were from up and down the state.
It was a local favorite, however, that took down top honors. Velltray Jefferson, a 2021 from Edison-Fresno who performed at both linebacker and wide receiver, had announced prior to the event that he intended on announcing his commitment immediately after the action was completed. Not only did the former USC commit garner overall MVP honors, he celebrated his birthday and made a lot Utah fans happy when he announced his commitment to the Utes.
Two MVPs are committed to Pac-12 schools, Jefferson and OL MVP and UCLA-bound Noah Pulealii of Palma. Two others are Mountain West bound, San Diego State-commit Brady Anderson of Liberty-Bakersfield and Air Force-committed Jacob Tafoya of Clovis East.
Here are all the MVP selections:
Offensive MVP: Derek Boyd, ATH, Oaks Christian-Westlake Village, 2022
Co-Defensive MVPs: Tim Thomas, LB, St. Mary’s-Stockton, 2022 – TJ Hall, DB, San Joaquin Memorial-Fresno, 2022
QB MVP: Amari Powell, Oaks Christian-Westlake Village, 2022
RB MVP: Jonah Coleman, Lincoln-Stockton, 2022
WR MVP: Jalon Jackson, Buhach Colony-Atwater, 2021
OL MVP: Noah Pulealii, Palma-Salinas, 2021
LB Co-MVPs: Brady Anderson, Liberty-Bakersfield, 2021 – Jacob Tafoya, Clovis East-Clovis, 2021
DB MVP: Jomarion Briggs, Lincoln-Stockton, 2022
2023 MVP: Nicholaus Iamaleava, QB, Warren-Downey
2024 MVP: Lamar Radcliffe, RB, Sacramento
Jadyn Marshall of St. Mary’s-Stockton, the top running back from the Class of 2022 and one of the state’s top hurdlers, didn’t get to perform with the running backs since they took the field in the afternoon. Marshall’s ride from Stockton was a defensive back, so he worked with the DBs in the morning, but still showed excellent overall skills. Before leaving he turned in a 4.53 laser-verified 40, and that was the second fastest of the day. Xavier Worthy, a 2021 Michigan-committed wide receiver from 2019 CIF state 1-AA Bowl Game champion Central-Fresno, had a 4.46 for the fastest 40 time, while the 4.57 of Briggs was third fastest.
The big guys don’t always get much of the spotlight but the Pulealii-led OL blasted the undersized DL in the Tug-of-War. The OL won six of the seven tugs with the DL winning only when they had a six on five advantage. In the one-on-one battle it was Henry Cisneros, a 2021 OL from San Joaquin Memorial that tugged his way to victory.
Look for more feature stories on individual MVPs and other standout performers from Northern and Central California in the days to follow.
Also, to hear the podcast with Brandon Huffman of 247Sports and Trent Herzog and Gary Howard of National Preps that talks about the top prospects prior to the Showcase, please click here.
