Next Big Things: Trio of 2022 OL Have Power 5 Potential
Geographically, New Mexico’s southeasternmost outpost is the small, largely rural town of Jal (pop. = 2,091), which shares a border with Texas. It’s also the home of the high school football player who could be New Mexico’s most sought after…
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Continue ReadingGeographically, New Mexico’s southeasternmost outpost is the small, largely rural town of Jal (pop. = 2,091), which shares a border with Texas.
It’s also the home of the high school football player who could be New Mexico’s most sought after 2022 prospect.
Rising junior offensive lineman Roger Carreon stands 6-foot-5, weighs 270 pounds and possesses the strength, mobility and agility college coaches crave. In recruiting parlance, Carreon is a freakish athlete whose ceiling is so high you need high powered binoculars to actually see it.
Stated another way, he’s about to blow up. And he still has two more seasons of high school football left to play for the Class 2A Jal Panthers.
Through a series of consistently solid performances, Carreon created noise on the winter and early spring camp circuit. Result? He received his first Div. I offer from Illinois State on Feb. 26. Two weeks later, New Mexico offered.
Just a wild guess, but they won’t be the last offers Carreon gets over the next 18 months. Don’t be surprised if some Power 5 schools, particularly those from the Big 12 and Pac-12, get involved soon.
“I’ve gotten some great experience at these camps and I’ve had a couple looks, Carreon told Prep Redzone New Mexico.
Two hundred ten miles west of Jal lies the high school football hotbed of Las Cruces. Arguably the city’s top 2022 prospect is 6-foot-5, 315-pound rising junior Royce Paulk, one of the anchors for the Las Cruces Bulldawgs’ imposing offensive line.
Paulk hasn’t yet been offered, but don’t fret, he will.
“He’s still a pup, but he can move,” Las Cruces coach Mark Lopez said. “He’s still learning how to play the game of football. I’m interested to see what he does this year because he has had a real good offseason. He has added a lot of strength. He will understand things a lot better this year. He jumps off the page as sort of that next big prospect. He’s on the brink of doing something.”
Paulk started on the Las Cruces offensive line as a sophomore guard in 2019, but tackle is his more natural position and that’s where he’ll play in 2020. While he hasn’t formally gotten an offer, his size and mobility (his favorite sport growing up was basketball) stand out to college coaches when they watch a Las Cruces practice or game. Surely, it’s only a matter of time before a major college program comes calling.
Recently, another 2022 offensive lineman has emerged as a potential Power 5 target. Rio Rancho OL Cayden Romero was offered by New Mexico on June 9, his first offer. Like Carreon and Paulk, the 6-foot-5, 320-pound Romero already possesses many of the skills needed to elite defenders at the major college level, and he still has two more years to develop.
MORE 2022 MAJOR COLLEGE CANDIDATES:
Zach Vigil, RB Rio Rancho, 5-10: Vigil made waves as a sophomore in 2019 by rushing for more 1,200 yards in his second season with the varsity. He had 40 carries as a freshman in 2018. Another big season from Vigil, and there’s no reason to doubt he will, should propel him up the recruiting boards of many schools.
Cael Stewart, QB Miyamura, 6-4: Stewart’s size is what stands out. Already 6-4 with two years left in his high school career, Stewart could reach heights of 6-6 or 6-7 by the time his senior season is finished. If he does get that tall, and he also demonstrates he can make all the throws, major colleges will certainly take a look. Extremely tall quarterbacks with powerful throwing arms are rare commodities.
Lucas Lucero, LB Rio Rancho, 6-2: Listed as a free safety, Lucero’s height, toughness and speed should make him an ideal player at that position at the next level. He is fearless at coming up and squarely meeting ball carriers at the point of attack. He tackles well in space and shows good instincts about anticipating where the ball is going.