Program Preview: Liberty Patriots

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><em>Liberty is coming off another strong season (10-3) in which their only three losses came from nationally-ranked opponents and now look to replace key pieces on both sides of the ball. They'll turn to a new QB that's shown promising potential and a cast of talented young playmakers. The Patriots will be tested early with one of the tougher preseason schedules that includes three top-100 teams and some of the best teams out of Hawaii, Utah, and California. </em></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Key Returners: [player_tooltip player_id='820605' first='Elijah' last='Espinoza']</strong> (QB, 2025), <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1334396' first='Gravis' last='Lopez']</strong> (WR, 2025), <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='402178' first='Kellen' last='Iwamuro']</strong> (WR, 2026), <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1330865' first='Giovanni' last='Criss']</strong> (WR, 2025), <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='820625' first='Sean' last='Craig']</strong> (DB, 2025), <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1128644' first='Eliah' last='Logo'] </strong>(DL, 2025), <strong>Derek Jones</strong> (DL, 2025), <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1326487' first='Lawrence' last='Taylor']</strong> (DB, 2025), <strong>Ryan</strong> <strong>Kiwanuka</strong> (DB, 2025),<strong> Leonard Ramos</strong> (DL, 2025), <strong>Lamese Gora</strong> (DB, 2026), <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1195282' first='Zjohnel' last='Wheaton']</strong> (DL, 2025), <strong>Alijah</strong> <strong>Vitale</strong> (DL, 2025)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Players to Watch: [player_tooltip player_id='820600' first='Jeremiah' last='Ioane']</strong> (LB, 2025) <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='563625' first='Ezra' last='Sanelivi'] </strong>(ATH, 2027), <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1323321' first='Skyler' last='Jackson']</strong> (RB, 2025), <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='940697' first='Rysen-James' last='Dacosin-Arcala'] </strong>(DB, 2027), <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1576340' first='Taleni' last='Liua']</strong> (ATH, 2026), <strong>Caden Pollard</strong> (TE, 2025), <strong>Darien Canyon</strong> (DB, 2025), <strong>Nakoa</strong> <strong>Benigno</strong> (DB, 2026), <strong>Kamari</strong> <strong>Black</strong> (ATH, 2027), <strong>Donte' Barnes</strong> (ATH, 2025), <strong>Isaac</strong> <strong>Gainor</strong> (OL, 2025), <strong>Melvin</strong> <strong>Whitehead</strong> (LB, 2025), <strong>Trent</strong> <strong>Tufele</strong> (DL, 2026), <strong>Andri</strong> <strong>Williams </strong>(WR, 2025), <strong>Cayden</strong> <strong>Bell</strong> (WR, 2026)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Schedule</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:list --> <ul class="wp-block-list"><!-- wp:list-item --> <li>8/23 vs. Skyridge (UT) </li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li>8/31 vs. Mililani (HI) </li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li>9/6 @ Mission Viejo (CA) </li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li>9/13 vs. American Fork (UT)</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li>9/20 @ Coronado </li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li>9/27 vs. Bishop Gorman</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li>10/10 @ Desert Pines</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li>10/18  vs. Foothill </li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li>10/25 vs. Arbor View </li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li>11/1 @ Basic</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --></ul> <!-- /wp:list --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Offense</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Senior QB <strong>Elijah</strong> <strong>Espinoza</strong> takes over the Liberty offense after the graduation of two-year starter, Tyrese Smith (Portland St.). Espinoza's flashed natural arm talent in limited action as a junior and throughout this offseason. He's an athletic passer that's a smooth operator from the pocket and possesses the arm strength to challenge defenses vertically- he picked up his first offer from Minnesota Duluth in April. He'll have multiple playmakers at WR to distribute to including the team's top returning pass catcher, <strong>Gravis</strong> <strong>Lopez</strong>, along with up-and-coming wideouts <strong>Kellen</strong> <strong>Iwamuro</strong>, <strong>Giovanni</strong> <strong>Criss</strong>, and <strong>Andri</strong> <strong>Williams</strong> who have all looked improved this offseason. TE <strong>Caden</strong> <strong>Pollard</strong> is an intriguing prospect to keep an eye on with potential in his size (6'5"/220) and athleticism as a pass catcher. Coronado-transfer RB <strong>Skyler</strong> <strong>Jackson</strong> looks like the top playmaker out of the backfield- the son of former All-Pro RB Steven Jackson, Skyler is a fast, physical athlete that can get downhill with the ball in his hands and has flashed some ability as a receiving threat. Jackson's had a stock-rising offseason picking up offers from Oregon St., Washington St., and Portland St. 2027 standout <strong>Ezra</strong> <strong>Sanelivi</strong>, the #15-prospect in PRZ NV's 2027 rankings, should be a versatile weapon for this offense with his receiving ability both out of the backfield and the slot. The offense will look to replace several starters from last season's OL unit- look for Coronado-transfer, <strong>Isaac</strong> <strong>Gainor</strong>, to fill one of the vacant OT spots. Gainor's a massive presence at 6'7"/310 that packs impressive strength in his hands and upper body. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Defense</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Liberty defense is led by two D-I commits- one on the front-seven and one in the secondary. DT <strong>Eliah</strong> <strong>Logo</strong> (UNLV commit) is a disruptive force upfront that can clog interior lanes in the run game and rush the passer with impressive mobility for his 6'1"/295 frame. Fellow DT <strong>Zjohnel</strong> <strong>Wheaton</strong> is another massive presence with major upside in his 6'5"/330 frame. He picked up early offers from UNLV and Colorado St. back in 2022 but has been mostly quiet since then- he could significantly raise his recruiting stock with a productive senior season. Senior DEs <strong>Derek</strong> <strong>Jones</strong> and <strong>Alijah</strong> <strong>Vitale</strong> are returners that should be important pieces on the edge. The LB unit will be tasked with replacing the production and physicality they got from multiple D-I signees last season. Oregon St.-commit <strong>Jeremiah</strong> <strong>Ioane</strong> returns to Liberty after spending his junior season at Arbor View. Ioane's an athletic, hard-hitting OLB that thrives around the edge of the box and should be one of the more productive tacklers for this defense. Senior <strong>Melvin</strong> <strong>Whitehead</strong> is an intriguing LB to watch from this group with the size, strength and athleticism he brings to the table. The standout wrestler is a powerful athlete with a strong, well-developed build (6'2"/220)- his wrestling background and advanced understanding of leverage should play into his favor. The secondary is led by two D-I prospects in CB <strong>Ryan</strong> <strong>Kiwanuka</strong> and S <strong>Sean</strong> <strong>Craig</strong>. Kiwanuka's a smooth cover-corner with strong instincts as a zone defender and flashes his speed in deep coverage. Craig's a long, versatile defender in coverage with playmaking skillsets at both CB and S. 2027 S <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='940697' first='Rysen-James' last='Dacosin-Arcala'] </strong>is one of Vegas' top sophomore DBs to watch after picking up an offer from Washington St. in May. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->