Freshman Friday: 5 More 2026 Prospects You Need To Know

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>It's Freshman Friday, so here are 5 more 2026 prospects that you need to know for the 2023 season:</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Jordan Gould, Cibola</strong>: When we were covering the Bernalillo 7x7 Jamboree a couple of weeks ago, one of the Cibola coaches pointed to Gould and exclaimed, “That kid is going to be a great player.” After watching Gould in action , we believe him. He has elite athleticism and high points the football as good as any young receiver we've seen in a while. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='402250' first='Skyler' last='Sargent'], La Cueva</strong>: We've mentioned the outstanding young offensive talent La Cueva possesses, but they have some promising young defensive players as well. Sargent is still a freshman at LCHS but he's listed at 6-foot-1, 240 pounds. He's a weight room warrior. He plays center and defensive line. Sargent first earned raves last year for his strong performance at a Colorado camp. Don't be surprised if he earns varsity playing time in 2023.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Taye Silversmith, Miyamura</strong>: Silversmith jumped onto our radar within the last few weeks. His film from last season is impressive when he played on both lines for Miyamura. He's another weight room warrior, building his squat from 225 to 300 pounds in just 6 weeks. Just 14, Silversmith is listed at 6-foot-1, 235 pounds. He's on his way to becoming one of the top players in the Four Corners. &nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Doug Mitchell, LB Grants</strong>: While the Grants programs has entered a period of uncertainty following the abrupt dismissal of head coach Brandon Hernandez last week, Mitchell has been a workout warrior along with fellow rising sophomore Gary Chavez. Both are members of the Angry Jack 1,000-pound club. Mitchell plays LB and RB, and should have an integral role on an improved Grants team in 2023. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Gage Conway, QB Albuquerque Academy</strong>: Young promising quarterback we saw at the Bernalillo 7x7 Jamboree on April 23. Conway, younger brother of former Chargers standout and Trinity University signee [player_tooltip player_id='138056' first='Cole' last='Conway'], has tremendous size and a strong, accurate arm. Since three-year starter [player_tooltip player_id='137884' first='A.J.' last='Rivera'] is graduating in a few weeks, Academy needs somebody to step up at QB. Most likely, Conway is the guy. He got varsity experience as a freshman in 2022 as a receiver and kicker. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:embed {"url":"https://twitter.com/SSarge2026/status/1635305344749686785","type":"rich","providerNameSlug":"twitter","responsive":true} --> <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://twitter.com/SSarge2026/status/1635305344749686785 </div></figure> <!-- /wp:embed --> <!-- wp:embed {"url":"https://twitter.com/TayeSilversmith/status/1653980379446136832","type":"rich","providerNameSlug":"twitter","responsive":true} --> <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://twitter.com/TayeSilversmith/status/1653980379446136832 </div></figure> <!-- /wp:embed --> <!-- wp:embed {"url":"https://twitter.com/GrantsPirateFB/status/1645579997124628482?s=20","type":"rich","providerNameSlug":"twitter","responsive":true} --> <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://twitter.com/GrantsPirateFB/status/1645579997124628482?s=20 </div></figure> <!-- /wp:embed -->