North Coast Section DL Rankings (1-5)

Paul Gregorian October 5, 2020 @ 10:00 AM

The Bay Area is flooded with national recruits at all positions and on both sides of the ball entering the 2020 football season. Although unconventional, the Fall sport season for the state of California is set to kick off in a few months which leads us to take a in-depth look at the Top 5 Defensive Lineman in the North Coast Section. 1. Akili Calhoun Akili Calhoun 6'4" | 245 lbs | DL Liberty Charter | 2021 State CA , 6’4″ 245 lbs., Liberty-Brentwood HS The big framed Cal Bears commit is an extremely physical defender with ideal size for the Pac-12 conference. During his Junior season, Calhoun showed his explosive first step and strong punch at the point of attack while using his length to keep blockers away from his body and play with good hand placement. He also shows strong lateral agility and displays good speed and change of direction for his size and is a natural bender off the edge. The 2021 4-star recruit is a great addition to Cal’s already very impressive 2021 recruiting class that features other bay area prospects such as , , , and Lu-Magia Hearns. 2. Jailen Weaver Jailen Weaver 6'7" | 280 lbs | DL Antioch | 2021 State CA 6’7″ 280 Ibs., Antioch HS Having just announced his top 3 schools which include Nebraska, Tennessee and Indiana, the Antioch HS product is one of the top uncommitted players in the entire state. Weaver has tremendous length and plays with good physicality and uses his arms/length well at the point of attack while flashing an explosive first step with the ability to flip his hips around the edge and also play tough against the run. As he continues to develop as a pass rusher and learns to play with lower pad level, the upside is undeniable for the 6’7″ prospect. 3. Evan Branch Haynes, 6’3″ 281 Ibs., Sacred Heart Cathedral HS Currently committed to the University of Arizona, Branch Haynes is a dominating interior defensive lineman with good size and strength to play major college football. On film, he shows a quick first step and maintains good pad level/strength and can violently shed blockers. A balanced and athletic defender, he is agile enough to have two-gap responsibility while flashing good change of direction and agility for his size. The 3-star recruit is a great addition to the Arizona recruiting class and joins another Norcal Arizona Wildcats commit in 2021 3-star North Bay ATH . 4. Chad Tasi, 6’1″ 275 Ibs., De La Salle HS A defensive anchor for one of the top teams in the entire country and while playing against the top talent in the entire state, Tasi is poised for a huge senior season for the Spartans. During the 2019 season, the junior showed his ability to play with intense physicality, versatility and power. Having had a strong showing in the state championship game against the eventual state champions St. John Bosco, Tasi displayed excellent short area closing speed for his size and is athletic enough to be a two-gap interior defender at the next level. The De La Salle product also flashes his relentless pursuit and strong tackling ability while playing with a high motor. Through out his recruiting process, Tasi has been very under-recruited but could end up with multiple FBS offers by the time he graduates. Sioeli Helu Sioeli Helu 6'3" | 315 lbs | DL Junipero Serra-San Mateo | 2021 State CA , 6’3″ 315 Ibs., Serra-San Mateo HS Holding Division 1 offers from the likes of Sac State, NAU, Idaho, Fordham, Yale and Navy among others, the Serra HS product is a disruptive interior defender that plays with good leverage and low pad level. Although very dominant against the run, once at the college level, he will continue to develop hip fluidity and hand placement at the next level. While competing against some of the top teams in Northern California, Sioeli’s high motor and dominating presence in the backfield has set him up to have a huge Senior season for one of the top teams in the WCAL and entire state.