Film Evals: Central Valley Prospects Earning First Offers

<h2 class="wp-block-heading">The Central Valley continues to produce a steady pipeline of under-the-radar talent, and a new wave of prospects is beginning to turn heads and earn their first offers. In this edition of film evals, we break down those prospects who are seeing their recruiting stock on the rise. </h2>    <p class="text-gray-700">Jefferson has been flying under the recruiting radar but recently pulled in his initial college offer from Colorado State. 6'1” 165 lbs. he's a great natural athlete who combines impressive catch radius with high level ball skills. He's a long strider that can stretch the field vertically with speed or advanced route running to separate at the short/intermediate levels. His move is sudden with quick twitch and sharp breaks at the top of his routes. Excellent body control and coordination to make acrobatic catches on off target throws. Great upside and a guy who could pop at any moment.</p>   <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://twitter.com/RelandolV3/status/1919577776727982259 </div></figure>     <p class="text-gray-700">Jones is an athletic and fluid CB with exceptional coverage instincts and great recovery ability. 5'10” 160 lbs. he displays smooth hips, quick feet, and the ability to mirror receivers in both man and zone schemes. His anticipation and route recognition allow him to stay in phase while his reactive burst and closing speed allow him to recover even when briefly beaten. Excellent recovery skills, he shows great capacity to regain leverage and make plays on the ball, often turning near completions into PBUs. Disciplined with his technique and footwork, he consistently challenges throws at the catch point and flashes good awareness in deep coverage. First offered by Sacramento State but will see more programs come through going forward.</p>      <p class="text-gray-700">McGrew is a dynamic two-way athlete who excels at both RB and DB showcasing his versatility, explosiveness, and natural playmaking ability on both sides of the ball. With an offer from Northern Arizona, he has clearly drawn attention for his ability to impact the game in multiple phases. As a RB, he runs with vision, burst, and balance flashing his ability to make defenders miss in space. His acceleration through the hole and ability to change directions without losing speed make him a threat to score every time he touches the ball. Defensively, he brings the same athleticism and smoothness to the secondary, where his instincts, quickness, and ball tracking skills stand out. Whether he's flipping the field on offense or locking down receivers on defense, McGrew is a pure football player with high upside to keep pulling in offers.</p>      <p class="text-gray-700">Merrill is a fast rising 2026 RB that recently pulled in his first two D1 offers from Portland State and Georgetown. 5'9” 195 lbs. he's got a strong compact frame with a skillset that blends his toughness, balance and explosiveness out of the backfield. With a low center of gravity, he runs with good pad level and contact balance, making him difficult to bring down on first contact. He shows decisive footwork and vision, hitting running lanes with speed while navigating traffic with sharp lateral cuts and quick acceleration. He shows plus short area burst through the second level and good elusiveness once he works to space. A reliable receiving threat out of the backfield to round out his skillset as a complete, every-down back. Highly productive in the 2024 season with 1,250 scrimmage yards and 17 touchdowns.</p>      <p class="text-gray-700">Spurgeon is a 6'4” 205 lb. dual-threat QB with a solid blend of size, athleticism, and arm talent that landed him an early offer from Northern Arizona. Smooth arm action, he shows the ability to mix up speeds with velocity and touch whether it's pushing the ball downfield or fitting it into tight windows. A true threat as a runner using his long stride and power to escape pressure, extend plays, and pick up big yardage on designed runs or broken plays. His mobility adds a dynamic element to any offense, keeping defenses off balance and opening up the playbook. Versatility and positional flexibility could allow him to be recruited and transition to multiple positions at the college level depending on development and need. Dual-sport athlete that is also a good baseball player.</p>