Film Dive: 2023 Central Valley Sleepers Part I

Photo: Dayton Tafoya Twitter

Paul Gregorian February 17, 2022 @ 03:53 PM

There is never any shortage of college prospects in the Valley, and the 2023 class is deep and talented with tons of top names to note. Below, we will breakdown some big time 2023 prospects that are coming off huge Junior seasons and represent the Central Valley well. <hr />   DL [player_tooltip player_id="190431" first="Marquise" last="Jones"], San Joaquin Memorial HS Jones is one of the most powerful and dominant true nose guards in Northern California and has FCS talents at the interior DL position. Holding his weight well, he is very strong at the point of attack and creates immediate knock-back near the LOS while wining with leg drive and a low pad level. Once contact is made, he does an impressive job at setting inside hands and shedding blocks without giving up ground and is a very efficient tackler in traffic while playing with violence and aggression. More of a run stopper and two gap plug, he can also rush the passer with power moves and his high motor.   QB Dayton Tafoya, Central HS Tafoya is a very efficient and athletic passer who can make difficult throws and makes a case as a dual threat option when scrambling and getting outside the pocket. He has impressed at multiple events this off-season and has nice Junior tape while slinging it for one of the top teams in the valley. Tafoya has good pocket movement abilities and a quick release while delivering well timed and accurate intermediate balls and putting nice velocity on deeper throws while leading his receivers and hitting tight windows. Able to make off-platform throws across his body with good spin, he is a threat in the run game as he displays a nice burst through the first level and deceptive speed and open field agility.   RB [player_tooltip player_id="145242" first="JT" last="Foreman"], Turlock HS Foreman is one of the top backs returning to the valley this Fall and is poised for another huge season for the Bulldogs. He is a bigger back with exceptional hands and body control out of the backfield while able to turn and run quickly and drive through contact in the open field. Through the hole, he is a patient runner that waits for his blocks to develop and shows fast foot speed and high knee drive through tight windows while bouncing off ankle tackles and showing strong contact balance when avoiding multiple tacklers. Although still working on top end speed through the third level, he makes up for it with his physical and elusive running style.   WR Jack Collins, Merced HS Collins is a bigger possession receiver that can also take the top off when needed and displays impressive high point ability and strong hands in traffic, especially in the redzone. A big target, he runs vertical routes well while getting in corners blind spots and settling down in zone coverage and getting upfield quickly. Physical with the ball in his hands, he has deceptive open field lateral movement abilities and speed while able to force defenders to take bad angles. He will be a nice pickup for a college looking for a long and physical outside receiver with some upside.   Other Top Names.... Roman Fries, Buchanan HS [player_tooltip player_id="145246" first="Jabari" last="King"], Central HS Hilton Green, Buchanan HS Grant Meadors, Liberty HS Cole Gilbert, Turlock HS Yaj Vance, Edison HS Markel Sanders, Clovis West HS Terraj Manning, Clovis HS Noah Taylor, Washington Union HS