West Texas: 10 2026 Prospects To Watch In The South Plains

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The South Plains of West Texas are filled with plenty of talented 2026 prospects. Many had outstanding sophomore seasons in 2023 and look to stay on an upward trajectory in 2024. Here are 10 2026 prospects to watch in the South Plains:</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Zeph Barela, Lubbock High</strong>: When Barela had the ball in his hands, he made things happen for the Lubbock Westerners. He averaged 15.0 yards per rushing attempt. The LHS coaches will likely spend a large chunk of the off-season figuring out ways to get Barela the ball. And they should. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>James Bozeman, Lubbock Estacado</strong>: Bozeman was one of the breakout players in Lubbock last fall as he rushed for over 1,000 yards and contributed on defense to an Estacado team that won 10 games and reached the third round of the Class 4A, D1 playoffs. Bozeman and RB [player_tooltip player_id='923475' first='Bobby' last='Ross'] Jr. (1,564 yards on 149 carries) both return in 2024, so Lubbock Estacado is primed for another big season.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Chase Campbell, Wolfforth Frenship</strong>: Campbell is listed as a QB and is the likely successor to Frenship legend Hudson Hutcheson, who signed with Kansas State. Campbell, though, is such a great athlete the Frenship coaches couldn't afford to keep him off the field. So, he played WR as a sophomore in 2023 and amassed 84 receptions for 1,411 yards and 17 TD. UTEP has offered.      </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Boyd Cox, Coahoma</strong>: Cox has been remarkably consistent in his first two years directing the Coahoma offense. Last season he threw for 1,859 yards and 22 TD. He tossed just three INT in 217 pass attempts, solid for a young QB. Coahoma finished 5-5 in 2023 and will look to make the playoffs in the fall.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='953376' first='Caton' last='Cramer'], Seminole</strong>: How good is Cramer? He still has two years of high school football ahead of him but Texas Tech, Baylor and Houston have already offered while Clemson has shown interest. Easy to see why when you watch the 6-foot-4, 190-pound Cramer play. He dominates opponents. In 2023, he rushed for 699 yards on 123 carries and caught 75 passes for 757 yards, accounting for 19 TD. &nbsp;&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Logan McCormick, Seminole</strong>: [player_tooltip player_id='953376' first='Caton' last='Cramer'] isn't the only 2026 standout on the Indians. McCormick enjoyed an outstanding 2023 season as well with 78 receptions for 1,193 yards and a team-high 22 TD. He also rushed for 7 TD. QB Wyatt Holmstrom returns in 2024, potentially giving Seminole as prolific an offensive attack as any team in West Texas.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Dalton Martin, New Deal</strong>: Martin is the first of two New Deal players on this list. He emerged as one of the top young defenders in West Texas this past season by collecting 159 tackles (130 solo) and 3 forced fumbles for the Lions. New Deal appears set for another fantastic season. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Isaiah Ruiz, Olton</strong>: Ruiz made his presence felt in his first season of varsity football as he rushed for 1,307 yards and 14 TD on 187 carries for the Mustangs. Olton's quarterback and top two rushers both return in 2024, so look for the Mustangs to be more prolific on offense. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Nehemiah Sanchez, Muleshoe</strong>: Sanchez made the most of his 6 games with the Muleshoe varsity in 2023 as he made 29 tackles and 3 TFL. He showed he has the talent for a 60+ tackle season as a junior in 2024. &nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Dallas Sumner, New Deal</strong>: Sumner threw for the most yards of any 2026 QB in the South Plains, completing 59 percent of his passes for 2,369 yards and 24 TD with just 7 interceptions as New Deal finished 9-4 and reached the third round of the Class 2A, D1 playoffs. That TD Pass-to-INT ratio of better than 3-to-1 shows a young quarterback making good decisions. In two seasons, Sumner has already thrown for close to 4,000 yards.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:embed {"url":"https://twitter.com/26ChaseC/status/1731100595942011188?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/26ChaseC/status/1731100595942011188?s=20 </div></figure> <!-- /wp:embed --> <!-- wp:embed {"url":"https://twitter.com/SHSIndianFB/status/1731496655017435272?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/SHSIndianFB/status/1731496655017435272?s=20 </div></figure> <!-- /wp:embed --> <!-- wp:embed {"url":"https://twitter.com/SHSIndianFB/status/1757965141369377196?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/SHSIndianFB/status/1757965141369377196?s=20 </div></figure> <!-- /wp:embed --> <!-- wp:embed {"url":"https://twitter.com/EHS_FB_recruits/status/1745438840582725805?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/EHS_FB_recruits/status/1745438840582725805?s=20 </div></figure> <!-- /wp:embed -->