San Luis Obispo County Top Players Part. I

Photo: Drew Harrigan Photos

Paul Gregorian May 24, 2022 @ 02:35 PM

OT RJ Esmon, Mission Prep HS Esmon is the top recruit across this region and holds offers from Cal Poly, Nevada and SJSU. It should not be long until other MWC schools start to take notice of the 6’7 prospect as he has tons of upside at the next level. He is an athletic kid with a huge frame and the ability to pack on more weight at the college level. A natural bender in his stance, his recruiting could really take off through his Senior season.   RB [player_tooltip player_id="273612" first="Drew" last="Harrigan"], Mission Prep HS Harrigan is a very explosive player that is only a rising Junior and is going to have a huge 2022 season for Mission Prep. On tape, he is a compact runner that has a natural lean and impressive contact balance through the hole while able to evade short area tacklers with strong lateral movement and short area quickness through the hole. At the second level, he can break away in the open field and is tough to tackle in space while showing vision in traffic with cutback abilities. A very balanced back, he is one of the top returning overall players across the region.   WR/TE Tyler Garrett, Mission Prep HS Garrett is a long and rangy outside receiver that could find his home at tight end in college as he has the frame to be able to pack on more weight and play near the line of scrimmage. He shows some good downfield speed with a huge catch radius in traffic and is a big-time mismatch in the red zone. Still tons of untapped potential, he is poised for a huge 2022 season for Mission Prep.   LB Mario Luera, Mission Prep HS Luera is one of the most physical and balanced linebackers across the section and had a stellar 2021 campaign. He is a downhill thumper that shows good closing speed and brings a very nice thump at the POA. He triggers fast on the perimeter while taking good angles to ball carriers and brings a very nice pop at contact. He also shows he can weave through traffic laterally and is hard to get hands on due to his bend and shock against blockers.   WR/DB Brody Johnson, San Luis Obispo HS Johnson is a two-way player at the receiver and corner position for SLO High School and is one of the top returning players across the county for the 2022 season. A longer kid, he can stretch the field vertically while an active corner that is not afraid to come up and make hits near the LOS. Still a developing player, he shows good ball skills and natural instincts when triggering on defense and when recognizing plays. D-III+ schools should take notice through this season.   FB Leo Kemp, Paso Robles HS Kemp is a downhill and physical fullback that gains the tough yards and gets vertically quickly. He is a compact low to the ground runner that is tough to tackle as he shows good contact balance and welcomes contact through the hole. Kemp will be returning for the 2022 season and will be one of the more bruising backs the region has to offer.