ARIZONA HAS RISEN

For years the state of Arizona has been a virtual afterthought in discussions regarding areas that  consistently produce elite high school football talent.
Former Arizona State Sun Devil and current Baltimore Ravens star, linebacker Terrell Suggs is probably the most recognizable name connected to the area. However, in recent years the 'Grand Canyon State' has become a burgeoning source of nationally recruited talent.

2013 NFL first round pick and former Oregon Duck, Dion Jordan, Devon Kennard (USC), Brent Hundley (UCLA), Andrus Peat (Stanford), Devonte Neal (Notre Dame, now at Arizona), Cole Luke (Notre Dame) Priest Willis (UCLA) are some of the more recent local stars who signed with high BCS-level programs.

Let's take a look at four recruits poised to continue the recent trend of elite programs venturing into the area to secure talent.



Jalen Brown, Wide Receiver
Mountain Pointe High School
Phoenix, Arizona

On the heels of a strong junior campaign in which he registered 68 receptions for over 1200 yards and 18 total scores, Brown (6'2" 170) has seen his recruiting stock really spike this spring. His appearances at the New Level Athletics 7 on 7 in Las Vegas (cut short due to a shoulder injury sustained while making an impressive diving catch) and the IMG/NFA 7 on 7 saw him display his talent against an elevated level of competition.

Since then, the four star has garned scholarship offers from such programs as Arizona, Arizona State, Michigan, Michigan State,Ole Miss, Oklahoma, Ohio State, Florida State, in addition to a host of other BCS programs. It's not clear if there's a timetable for a decision.

http://www.hudl.com/athlete/119315/jalen-brown



Dionte Sykes, Wide Receiver
Chandler High School
Gilbert, Arizona

Sykes was exceptional at the Los Angeles NFTC. His smoothness in and out of cuts allowed him to consistently separate from defenders.His combination of size (6'4" 200) and ball skills -along with his film-prompted UCLA to extend an offer for Sykes to join their resurgent program. Sykes subsequently committed to the Bruins on May 16th. He selected them from an impressive offer list that included Arizona, Hawaii, Colorado State, Michigan, Michigan State, and Syracuse.


Per 247 Sports: Sykes does indeed plan to take visits to a few other schools.

Tyler Whiley, Athlete
Chaparral High School
Paradise Valley, Arizona

A versatile athlete,Whiley plays a number of positions for his high school team. He was apart of a contigent of Arizona area athletes who participated in the IMG/NFA 7 on 7 tournament. The six-foot, 185 pounder registered over 600 received yards to go along with 10 touchdowns while playing wide receiver. On defense, Whiley collected nearly 50 tackles, and picked off two passes while playing defensive back and linebacker.

An increasingly hot commodity on the recruiting trail, Whiley has seen interest from the Oregon Ducks and Nebraska Cornhuskers to go along with verbal offers from both in-state programs, UCLA, and  the Oklahoma Sooners. This, to go along with the his most recent offer from Oklahoma State.

Christian Kirk, Athlete (Class of 2015)
Saguaro High School
Scottsdale, Arizona

Just a rising junior,Kirk has quickly become a national recruit. The speedy (5'10" 175) athlete established himself as one of the nation's premiere deep threats -regardless of class-after notching 1003 yards and 12 touchdowns; on only 43 receptions (For a 23.3 yard average) during the 2012 high school football season.


The wide receiver MVP of the Los Angeles NFTC, Kirk has seen his recruitment explode with garnering the interest of schools all over the country. Notre Dame, Florida State, Oregon, Tennessee, Michigan State, Texas A&M are just some of the more prominent programs that have verbally offered in an attempt to position themselves to land the electric pass catcher.