Gridiron Arizona's 2023 Recruiting Update: 4/21

UPDATED: 4/21/22

Colleges across the nation continue to take notice of the prep talent in Arizona each season. More than 350 players from the Class of 2022 have signed with schools to advance their football careers, and receive an education.

Last Tuesday, Washington officially offered Chaparral defensive end Gavin Geweniger, becoming the first Power Five school to go in on an intriguing pass rusher in the Valley. Geweniger is 6-5, 255-pounds, and has an 82-inch wingspan. A two-sport athlete (he also wrestles), Geweniger had 39 tackles and six sacks for the Firebirds last season. It was a comeback junior year for him as an ACL injury wiped out his sophomore season. Washington will finish up its spring practice season with the annual Spring Preview on April 30 in Seattle. It begins at 11:30 a.m. and will be shown on the Pac-12 Network. Fans will get free admission and can even stick around for baseball and softball games in the afternoon against Stanford. The Huskies, 4-8 last season, will play the Arizona schools in back-to-back weeks in October. First, UW travels to Tempe to face Arizona State on Oct. 8. The following Saturday, the Huskies will host Arizona.

Geweniger added an offer on Tuesday of this week from San Diego State. The Aztecs will be celebrating their 100th season of football this fall in new SnapDragon Stadium. SDSU (12-2) had a school record for victories and was one of just 10 programs nationally to hit the dozen mark. The place holds 35,000 and should be full when it debuts on Sept. 3 against Arizona (1-11 last year).

Another defensive player in the Valley is Aiden Herring, who received another offer last Wednesday. It came from Air Force for the D-End from Perry. Herring, a 6-3, 260-pounder, was a Second Team All-6A Premier Region selection last season. In his junior year, he totaled 57 tackles and 12 sacks. Perry is prepping for spring ball with Saturday morning workouts during the month of April led by new head coach Joseph Ortiz. The offer from the Falcons is his third from an FBS school. This year's Air Force-Army game will again be played at a neutral site. Globe Life Field in Arlington Texas will host the Lockheed Martin Commanders' Classic on Nov. 5. This will be the second consecutive year the home of the Texas Rangers will stage the game. Air Force leads the all-time series 38-16-1. The Falcons finished the 2021 season with a 10-3 record, including a win in the First Responder Bowl in Dallas over Louisville.

Air Force also made offers to three other players last week. Devon Dampier, Ryan Blum, and Tyson Simmons earned them from the Falcons. Dampier is a 6-foot, 200-pound quarterback at Saguaro. He transferred from Pinnacle and got the start for all three of the Sabercats' Open Division games. Dampier showed his dual-threat skills with 440 rushing yards and six touchdowns while delivering three victories and the ultimate gold ball. Blum is a 6-2, 285-pound center at Basha. He was recently the Offensive Lineman MVP at the Under Armour camp in Los Angeles. Blum has been getting stronger this offseason and has benched 375 pounds. Simmons, a teammate of Blum at Basha, is a 6-3, 245-pound defensive end. He had 44 tackles and 2.5 sacks as the Bears went 10-1 and made the Open Division tournament for the first time. Blum is up 10 pounds of lean muscle mass and has been getting even faster for his rushes from the edge.

Last Saturday, Blum added an offer from Central Michigan. The Chippewas have a new offensive line coach in William Vlachos. He comes to Mount Pleasant from Colorado, where he's spent the last two seasons. Vlachos also has coaching experience with the Buffalo Bills and Alabama, where he was an All-American center. CMU went 9-4 last season, was the Mid-American Conference West Division co-champion, and defeated Washington State in the Sun Bowl.

Caleb Lomu, a 6-5, 260-pound rising junior at Highland, collected an offer last Thursday to play for Baylor out of the Big 12. He competed in the Polynesian Bowl combine last month and earned himself a spot in the national all-star game. Lomu is a combination of balance, quick feet, and strength. Earlier this month, he took an unofficial visit to Arizona State. Lomu was the left tackle for the Hawks, who went 11-4 and won the 6A Conference championship for the first time in school history. Baylor started five seniors on the offensive line last year and four of them will return, taking advantage of the NCAA ruling for an extra year of eligibility due to games missed during the pandemic. The super-seniors will give the Bears one of the most experienced and oldest lines in the country. BU is getting ready for its Green & Gold Game this Saturday in Waco. The Bears finished 12-2 last year, including a perfect 7-0 at home in McLane Stadium. Three of those were wins over ranked teams (Iowa State, BYU, and Oklahoma).

Gaining his first FBS offer last Saturday was Layton Duncan. The 6-1, 185-pound Brophy wide receiver got it from Nevada following an unofficial visit to the Reno campus. In six games before a foot injury ended his junior year, Duncan caught 25 passes for 266 yards and scored three touchdowns. He's been working on some high-performance training this offseason and focusing on his explosiveness and speed. Earlier this month, Duncan attended Junior Day at Southern Utah. Nevada will be holding its spring game, known as the Battle Born Showdown, this Saturday. Fans will be able to see classic cars in the tailgate lot and take a photo with the Fremont Cannon, won by the Wolf Pack in its annual rivalry with UNLV last season (51-20). Nevada went on to finish 8-5 and played in the Quick Lane Bowl in Detroit.

On Easter Sunday, A'Mauri Washington announced offers from four Power Five schools - Auburn, Michigan State, Nebraska, and Arkansas. The 6-5, 295-pound defensive tackle at Chandler is now up to 22 Power Five offers as we hit the first full week of the Spring Evaluation Period, and a week before the Wolves start spring practices. Washington had 42 tackles, six sacks, and two forced fumbles as Chandler returned to the Open Division championship game. He was a Second Team All-6A Conference selection on the defensive line as a junior. Washington has a quick first step and can generate power from that. The new USFL began in Auburn's home state of Alabama over the weekend. A total of six former Tigers made rosters, with two of them playing for the New Jersey Generals. Michigan State wrapped up spring practice over the weekend with an open practice and scrimmage. The Spartans are hoping to keep momentum after an 11-2 season and Top 10 finish in 2021. Nebraska held its Spring Game earlier this month and the defense (White) edged the offense (Red) 43-39 in a modified scoring system in front of 54,000 fans at Memorial Stadium in Lincoln. Perry alum Chubba Purdy completed five passes in the game for 63 yards. Due to inclement weather, Arkansas had to move its open scrimmage indoors and close it to the public. The Razorbacks wrap up spring practice this Saturday. Arkansas went 9-4 last season and will travel to Auburn on Oct. 29. The Tigers (6-7 in 2021) defeated Arkansas, 38-23 in last year's game.

Hamilton's leading returning tackler is Alex McLaughlin, who got an offer from the United States Naval Academy last Friday. The 6-2, 195-pound linebacker had 80 of them for the Huskies last season along with a pair of sacks and two blocked kicks. McLaughlin was recognized with a First Team All-6A Premier Region selection. He can play in space or come off the edge. McLaughlin is working on his speed this spring with the Hamilton track team. He ran the leadoff leg at the recent Hohokam Relays in both the 4x100 and 4x200, with the Huskies going on to win both races. Navy will play five home games in Annapolis, plus will have a home game in Baltimore's M&T Bank Stadium against Notre Dame. It's a difficult slate for the Mids, who went 4-8 last season. Ten teams that played in bowl games will appear on the schedule, including Cincinnati and Houston. Navy will kick it off on Sept. 3 at home against Delaware (5-6 in 2021).

McLaughlin and Dampier also picked up offers from Army. After four weeks of practice, the Black Knights are wrapping it up with the Black & Gold Game on Friday night at West Point. Admission to the intrasquad game will be free. Army opens its season on Sept. 3 at Coastal Carolina (11-2 in 2021). The Black Knights finished 9-4 last year and edged Missouri in the Armed Forces Bowl in Fort Worth.

Coconino has a presence at linebacker in Pierson Watson. The 6-3, 205-pounder obtained an offer from South Dakota last Thursday. Watson had 45 tackles and two sacks in eight games for the Panthers. A serious lifter, Watson is a member of the 1,000-pound club at CHS, which combines squat, bench, and deadlift. Last weekend, Watson checked out the local school, Northern Arizona, for its Junior Day. He also put in work at a Rivals Camp in Dallas earlier this month. South Dakota will have its final practice for the spring this Saturday in the form of a scrimmage. Admission will be free to fans at the DakotaDome. The Coyotes play in the Missouri Valley Football Conference (FCS) and went 7-5 last season. USD will open the season in Big 12 Conference country at Kansas State (8-5 in 2021) on Sept. 3.

James Durand began making his mark on Basha varsity football as a freshman. Heading into his fourth year on a team expected to contend for the Open Division, he's also a scholar baller. On Tuesday, the 6-6, 280-pound offensive guard pocketed an offer from Harvard. It's his fourth from the prestigious Ivy League. The Bears made their first Open appearance last season behind an offense that averaged 42.9 points and 445 yards per game. Durand was named to the Second Team All-6A Conference last year. Harvard is coming off a 2021 season in which it posted an 8-2 record. That was the most wins for the Crimson since 2015. Harvard recently announced a home-and-home series with St. Thomas out of Minnesota. The first of those meetings will be in Cambridge in 2023. The Tommies made their FCS debut in 2021.

Here's the rest of the offers over the last 10 days (since April 12):

Hamilton safety Genesis Smith received offers from Washington State and Air Force.
Hamilton linebacker Taye Brown received an offer from Air Force.
Mountain Ridge defensive end Jason Kirkland received an offer from Morehead State (Ky.).
Red Mountain wide receiver Lenox Lawson received offers from Central Michigan and North Dakota.
Pusch Ridge linebacker Tyler Mustain received his first offer from Northern Arizona.
Sunrise Mountain quarterback Austin Glimpse received an offer from Wesleyan (Conn.).
Buckeye running back Viliani Tongotea received his first offer from Arizona Christian.
River Valley quarterback Gavin Hogencamp received his first offer from Arizona Christian.

This list shows four-year college offers received by juniors throughout the state. It's not limited to just 6A and 5A. It will be constantly updated as we approach the Early Signing Period from December 14-16. Those are the first days that high school seniors can sign a letter of intent to agree to attend an institution.

Verbal commitments are shown in bold.

CLASS OF 2023 OFFERS

Brendan Anderson - Mountain Ridge (QB): Yale

Ryan Blum - Basha (C): Air Force, Central Michigan, New Mexico State, Northern Arizona, San Diego

Jackson Bowers - Mesa Mountain View (TE): Alabama, Arizona, Arizona State, Auburn, Baylor, BYU, California, Cincinnati, Colorado, Florida State, Georgia Tech, Louisville, LSU, Michigan State, Mississippi, Missouri, Nevada, Oregon, Oregon State, UNLV, USC, Utah, Washington, West Virginia, Yale

Taye Brown - Hamilton (LB): Air Force, Idaho State, New Mexico State

Deshaun Buchanan - Basha (RB): Arizona, Grambling State, New Mexico State, Northern Arizona, Portland State

Aidan Buggs - Casteel (OG): Whittier

John Butler - Saguaro (LB): Arizona

Roch Cholowsky - Hamilton (QB/P): New Mexico State

Kavaughn Clark - Centennial (RB): Nevada, Northern Arizona

Daniel Contreras - River Valley (OG): Arizona Christian

Zaccheus Cooper - Saguaro (RB): Alcorn State, Morgan State, New Mexico

Stephon Daily - Sierra Linda (WR): Army, Colorado State, Hawaii, Nevada, Northern Arizona

Devon Dampier - Saguaro (QB): Air Force, Arizona, Army, Idaho State, Nevada, New Mexico, Northern Arizona, Pennsylvania, Rice, Yale

Ryan Davis - O'Connor (DE): Idaho State, Northern Arizona

Alex Doost - Mountain Ridge (OT): Arizona, Arizona State, California, Colorado, Colorado State, Indiana, Massachusetts, Michigan State, Nevada, Northern Arizona, Northwestern, Oregon State, San Diego State, Utah State, Washington, Washington State, West Virginia

Layton Duncan - Brophy (WR): Idaho State, Morgan State, Nevada

James Durand - Basha (OG): Arizona, BYU, California, Colorado, Harvard, Indiana, Iowa State, New Mexico, New Mexico State, Oregon State, Pennsylvania, Princeton, San Diego State, Utah, Utah State, Wisconsin, Yale

AJ Dutchover - Highland (OG): Concordia Coll. (Minn.), Grinnell

Joshua Dye - Williams Field (RB): Northern Arizona

Josiah Dye - Williams Field (CB): Army, Northern Arizona, Utah State

Jack Endean - Tanque Verde (OT): Arizona, California, OKLAHOMA STATE

Deric English - Saguaro (WR): Arizona, Arizona State, Florida State, Louisville, Michigan State, Missouri, Morgan State, Northern Arizona, Oregon, Utah, Washington

Shea Freibaum - Saguaro (LS): Marshall

My'Keil Gardner - Liberty (DE): Arizona, Arizona State, California, Colorado, Colorado State, Fresno State, Iowa, Iowa State, Nebraska, Nevada, Northern Arizona, Oregon, Oregon State, San Diego State, Texas, UCLA, USC, Utah State, Washington State, Wisconsin

Gavin Geweniger - Chaparral (DE): Colorado State, Nevada, San Diego State, UNLV, Washington

Austin Glimpse - Sunrise Mountain (QB): Grinnell, Wesleyan

Carlos Griffin - Saguaro (CB): Army, Syracuse

Terrance Hall - Mountain Ridge (WR): Morgan State

Dominic Hanger - Chandler (LB): Augustana Univ. (S. Dak.)

Aiden Herring - Perry (DE): Air Force, Army, Idaho, Idaho State, Nevada, Northern Arizona

Gavin Hogencamp - River Valley (QB): Arizona Christian

Damian Jiles - Cactus (RB): Montana Tech

Sirri Kandiyeli - Mesa Mountain View (OT): Arizona State, New Mexico State

Jason Kirkland - Mountain Ridge (DE): Butler, Morehead State, Valparaiso

Matthew Klopfenstein - Horizon (TE): Arizona, Arizona State, BAYLOR, Buffalo, California, Colorado, Houston, Indiana, Iowa State, Kansas, Louisville, Massachusetts, Michigan, Michigan State, Nevada, Oregon State, Pittsburgh, San Diego State, Tennessee, Utah State, Washington, Washington State, West Virginia, Wisconsin

Ja'Kobi Lane - Red Mountain (WR): Arizona, Arizona State, Colorado, Colorado State, Fresno State, Hawaii, Iowa State, Massachusetts, Nevada, Northern Arizona

Lenox Lawson - Red Mountain (WR): Central Michigan, Idaho State, New Mexico State, North Dakota, Northern Colorado, Southern Utah

Cooper LeDuc - Hamilton (CB): New Mexico State

Myles Libman - Pinnacle (WR): Arizona, Arizona State, Columbia, Idaho State, Pennsylvania, Portland State

Caleb Lomu - Highland (OT): Arizona, Arizona State, BYU, California, Indiana, Nevada, Northern Arizona, Oregon State, San Diego State, UNLV, Utah, Utah State, Washington, Washington State

Cole Martin - Basha (CB): Alabama, Arizona, Arizona State, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Duke, Florida, Florida Atlantic, Florida State, Georgia, Idaho, Iowa State, Kansas, Louisville, LSU, Michigan State, Mississippi, Nebraska, Nevada, Northern Arizona, Notre Dame, OREGON, San Jose State, Stanford, Tennessee, Texas, Texas A&M, UCLA, USC, Washington, West Virginia, Wisconsin

Nicolas Martin - Chandler (OG): Graceland

Gianni Mascolino - Cooldige (QB): Washington

Sean Mathews - Thunderbird (LB): Grinnell

Kaiden McCarty - Eastmark (FS): Ottawa

Alex McLaughlin - Hamilton (LB): Army, Illinois State, Navy, New Mexico State, Ohio

Wyatt Milkovic - Basha (LB): Army, BOISE STATE, California, Colorado, Colorado State, Iowa State, Nevada, New Mexico, New Mexico State, Northern Arizona, Utah State

Aaron Monroe Jr. - Centennial (CB): Arizona Christian

Tyler Mustain - Pusch Ridge (LB): Northern Arizona

Andereya Nsubuga Jr. - Chandler (CB): Portland State

Elijah Paige - Pinnacle (OT): Arizona, Arizona State, Auburn, BYU, California, Cincinnati, Colorado, Colorado State, Duke, Indiana, Kansas, Miami (Fla.), Michigan, Michigan State, Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska, Northwestern, Notre Dame, Oregon, Oregon State, Penn State, San Diego State, Stanford, Tennessee, UCLA, USC, Utah, Utah State, Washington, Washington State, West Virginia, Wisconsin

Keona Peat - Corona del Sol (OG): Fort Valley State, Johnson C. Smith

Porter Reynolds - Queen Creek (LB): Colorado, Washington State

Dylan Roberts - Centennial (DT): Arizona, California, Northern Arizona, Northwestern

Levi Robins - Saguaro (CB): Columbia

Duce Robinson - Pinnacle (TE): Arizona, Arizona State, Arkansas, Clemson, Florida Atlantic, Florida State, Georgia, Iowa State, LSU, Michigan, Michigan State, Nevada, New Mexico, Notre Dame, Ohio State, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pittsburgh, San Jose State, Texas A&M, UCLA, UNLV, USC, Utah, Washington

Dorae Scott - Basha (WR): New Mexico State

Cole Shivers - Saguaro (CB): Arizona, Boise State, Buffalo, Colorado, Florida State, Fresno State, Iowa State, Kansas, Nevada, Northwestern, UNLV, Utah State, Washington State, Wisconsin

Tyson Simmons - Basha (DE): Air Force, Nevada

Genesis Smith - Hamilton (FS): Arizona, Army, New Mexico State, Northern Arizona, San Diego State, Utah State

Tre' Spivey - Hamilton (WR): Arizona, Arizona State, Colorado State, Kansas State, Massachusetts, Nevada, New Mexico, New Mexico State, Northern Arizona, Portland State, UNLV, Utah State, Washington State, Wisconsin

Griffin Stalfort - Hamilton (LS): New Mexico State

Richard Stallworth - Yuma Catholic (QB): Adams State

Mason Stromstad - Marcos de Niza (FS): Whittier

Nick Switzer - Hamilton (RB): New Mexico State

Viliani Tongotea - Buckeye (RB): Arizona Christian

Jeremiah Vessel - Basha (S): Arizona State, Boise State, Buffalo, Colorado, Columbia, Grambling State, Iowa State, Kansas, Liberty, Louisiana-Monroe, Louisiana Tech, Louisville, Memphis, Michigan State, Mississippi State, New Mexico State, Pennsylvania, Pittsburgh, SMU, Southern, Tulane, Virginia

Blake Ware - O'Connor (LB): Lake Forest, Puget Sound

A'Mauri Washington - Chandler (DT): Arizona, Arizona State, Arkansas, Auburn, Florida State, Iowa State, LSU, Michigan, Michigan State, Nebraska, Northern Arizona, Ohio State, Oklahoma, Oregon, Oregon State, Penn State, Syracuse, Tennessee, Texas, Texas A&M, USC, Utah, Washington

Demari Washington - Centennial (FS): Army, Colorado

Pierson Watson - Coconino (LB): Nevada, South Dakota

Will Way - Pusch Ridge (OT/DE): Idaho State, Northern Arizona, South Dakota

Jaron Winters - Mountain Ridge (C): Mayville State

Tanner Wood - River Valley (LB/RB): Arizona Christian

UPDATED: 4/8/22

After an unofficial visit to Baylor two weeks ago, Matthew Klopfenstein said he was blown away with what the Bears' program had to offer. On Thursday, he held a commitment ceremony at Horizon High School in the centrally-located quad and verbally committed to BU.

"It is an overall great program," Klopfenstein said in a text message. "The culture is rich and I can't wait to be a part of it."

The 6-5, 230-pound tight end caught 45 passes for 575 yards and scored 10 touchdowns during a breakthrough junior year for the Huskies. Horizon won the 5A Conference championship in 2021 after a 12-2 season.

Baylor offensive coordinator Jeff Grimes loves to use the tight end in his scheme. Last season, Ben Sims and Drake Dabney combined for 41 catches, 452 yards, and eight touchdowns for the Bears, who went 12-2 and won the Sugar Bowl over Ole Miss.

Klopfenstein is the ninth known commitment for Baylor in the '23 class and second tight end. He had 24 offers, including Louisville, Michigan State, and Arizona.

Baylor is at about the halfway point of its spring drills. The Bears finished up a third week of practice on Thursday and will scrimmage this Saturday. The annual Green & Gold Spring Game is set for Saturday, April 23 at 10 am Arizona time. Baylor kicks off its 2022 season at home in Waco's McLane Stadium against FCS-opponent Albany (2-9 in 2021) on Sept. 3.

Another Valley player impressed with a college visit made his decision on Friday as Wyatt Milkovic committed to Boise State. The Basha linebacker was offered by the Broncos last Friday upon his arrival to Boise, went on what he called a "great visit" where he had an "awesome time" over the weekend and has chosen BSU.

Milkovic played on the inside for the Bears last season and led the team in tackles with 132. Basha finished 10-1 and made the Open Division playoffs for the first time. Milkovic had 4.5 sacks and forced two fumbles.

Arizona Varsity's Cody Cameron caught up with Milkovic earlier this week and discussed his visits to Utah State and Boise State in a video interview. Milkovic had 11 offers, including Nevada, Colorado, Cal, and Iowa State.

Milkovic is the second commitment for Boise State in this class. The other is a name familiar to Arizona HS football fans as quarterback CJ Tiller was the first to pledge to the Broncos. Tiller has recently moved to Southern California and will play his senior year at Rancho Cucamonga HS.

This week, Boise State announced plans for an Athletics Master Village. The project includes facility improvements and additions for all 18 of its sports programs. Included for the football team are completion of a 360-degree concourse, increasing capacity of Albertsons Stadium to 40,000 (from its current 36,400), and renovating the restrooms and concessions. Boise State finished 7-5 last season and was invited to the Arizona Bowl in Tucson, but had to withdraw due to COVID-19 issues. The Broncos begin 2022 with a trip to Corvallis to face Oregon State (7-6 last year) on Sept. 3.

BAYLOR BEARS

Matthew Klopfenstein (TE) - Horizon

BOISE STATE BRONCOS

Wyatt Milkovic (LB) - Basha

OKLAHOMA STATE COWBOYS

Jack Endean (OT) - Tanque Verde

OREGON DUCKS

Cole Martin (CB) - Basha