Sports Illustrated Debuts High School Ones to Watch
An Interview With SI’s Director of Football Recruiting, John Garcia Jr.
Sports enthusiasts across the nation are struggling with the lack of sporting events to attend or watch. NASCAR is back on track with no fans in the stands, the PGA touring in select cities only, and MLB starting to play but with less games and cardboard fans in the stands…something is still missing.
Football was going to be our saving grace. With the season starting in the Fall, there was hope that COVID would be just a memory and we’d be back in action. Unfortunately, the infection numbers have increased and some NFL players are opting out of the 2020 season altogether.
College football season is still uncertain and the ACC, Big 10, Big 12, Pac -12 game schedule boards are filled with “postponed” and “cancelled” notations.
With COVID crushing our hopes of a good tailgating party, what do we have to look forward to?
Sports Illustrated had a idea…. They rounded up the leading 1,000 high school senior football players as they enter the college circuit and where they are headed.
SI’s Director of Football Recruiting, John Garcia Jr. took some time to give me a little backstory on this list, and who are some of the ones to watch…
Break it down for me….How are college coaches evaluating prospective players in this Covid world?
It’s all a forced motion back to the foundation of these prospect evaluations — game tape. Friday night resumes still matter well more than any other singular setting, but the crowded offseason schedule including everything from camps to combines and 7-on-7 has watered down the sheer time spent evaluating Friday night high school game tape. Also without spring football in 2020, the entire industry has doubled down on the fall of 2019 and combed through more tape than ever before, theoretically. Some circles feel like the shutdown actually will enhance the evaluation of the class considering more of it will be based on actual full-padded football. Sure, there have been select offseason events and technology allows for updated verification of certain elements of evaluation like size and overall athleticism, but this class has a higher percentage of opinion formed from football games than we’ve seen in the modern era.
What is the final date for students to commit to colleges?
The NCAA is still navigating plenty of angles to appropriately cover the class of 2021 but the signing period has yet to be publicly altered as of this morning. The small Early Signing Period window in December may not be as active as recent years depending on how the 2020 high school seasons shake out in a given state. The traditional signing period, extending from the first Wednesday in February through most of April, may be utilized more than we’ve seen in recent recruiting cycles as prospects navigate late scholarship options.
Texas this year has the top quarterback picks…. Why do you think Texas is coming on. Strong this year with 17 QB on your watch list?
Texas has always been a top state in football talent production and volume, and quarterback has long been a strong suit. I think the higher numbers in this class in particular reflect the offensive shift we’ve seen in college and the NFL in the last decade. Spread offenses, long rooted in Texas High School football, have become the base offense for many top programs and organizations on Saturdays and Sundays. Quarterbacks understanding the concepts, paired with natural physical talent, are in that much better position to make an impact early in the college game and Texas has as good a track record as any state as churning those types out every year.
California is rolling out great talent as always but you noted that 5 of their top prospects haven’t committed yet. Any thoughts?
The lack of on-field dominance by USC in recent years has opened the recruiting door for several programs regionally and nationally. The Trojans haven’t been as affected in the current recruiting cycle, with what appears to be their best haul in some time, but the state’s elites are largely considering options out of state at the same strong rate. Korey Foreman, likely to be the highest ranked from California once we debut the SI99 in August, is a one-time Clemson verbal commitment now looking at options all over the place from USC to Oregon, LSU, Georgia and beyond. That vast list of true contenders is common among some of the other high profile Californians still on the board. Throw in COVID-19, where prospects have been unable to take visits further from home, and it has caused a more patient approach from some of the best in California.
The number 1 ranked overall player is? And what makes him SI’s top pick?
It’s Caleb Williams, the quarterback out of Washington (D.C.) Gonzaga who committed to Oklahoma on July 4. He’s the only prospect we’ve unveiled in the overall rankings and stands at №1 because of the great raw talent and physical tools he possesses at the game’s most important position. Williams is a physical specimen at 6-foot-2, 215 pounds or so with incredible arm strength and overall athleticism, allowing him to put pressure on the defense regardless of down and distance. His game has hit another level in the last 12 to 18 months and recent offseason showings at top quarterback events like the Elite 11, which he was named MVP, and QB Collective reinforce his ability to consistently throw an accurate football as well. Whether looking at natural ability, progression in the short term or long term ceiling, we feel like Williams sets the pace in the class of 2021.
Will SI do another feature in December showcasing the final 25 best of the best?
We’re excited to get this initial list out, with the 1,000 free and public evaluations and player profile pages, a move that we believe is unprecedented in the modern era of college football recruiting coverage. Cutting the lists down through the coming months, after we release top 10 rankings at every position, won’t be easy but those who stand at the end of the SI All-American journey will absolutely be featured on multiple fronts. Of course the fluctuating fate of the 2020 high school seasons depending on the state isn’t going to make that job any easier come December, but all factors will be taken into consideration.
Read the complete report and make sure to circle back in December to see their top 25 picks!
