Published Apr 29, 2017
Re-ranking the top 35 players from Arizona's Class of 2012
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Ralph Amsden  •  ArizonaVarsity
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As day 3 of the 2017 NFL Draft concludes, with Arizona High School football alums from the classes of 2012 and 2013 hoping to find NFL homes, I thought it'd be interesting to revisit and re-rank Arizona's high school football class of 2012.

While I started as a high school sports reporter in Arizona back in 2012, I wasn't yet part of the Rivals network, so it's interesting to go back and see the evaluations of players that my primary point-of-reference for is their post-prep resumés.

Here were the original top 15 prospects in the State of Arizona in 2012 as ranked by Rivals.

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Rivals 2012 State of Arizona Prospect Rankings
RankPlayerSchoolStars/Rating

1

Andrus Peat

Corona del Sol

5 (6.1)

2

DJ Foster

Saguaro

4 (5.9)

3

Davonte Neal

Chaparral

4 (5.9)

4

Javon Williams

Chandler

4 (5.8)

5

Connor Brewer

Chaparral

4 (5.8)

6

Zach Hemmila

Chandler

4 (5.8)

7

Kendyl Taylor

Hamilton

3 (5.7)

8

Reggie Daniels

Hamilton

3 (5.7)

9

Kisima Jagne

Chandler

3 (5.7)

10

Dwight Melvin

Fairfax

3 (5.7)

11

Zach Hoffpauir

Centennial

3 (5.7)

12

Avery Moss

Corona del Sol

3 (5.7)

13

Anthony Lopez

Mesquite

3 (5.7)

14

Jarvis Lewis

Chaparral

3 (5.7)

15

Josh Weeks

Show Low

3 (5.7)

As I've written before, about 50% of the FBS prospects in Arizona either transfer or are out of football within three years of graduation, and this class was no different. Neal, Brewer, and Taylor all transferred for varying reasons, while Williams, Jagne, and Lewis' journeys ended in the JuCo ranks. Others, like Weeks and Moss switched schools due to off-field issues, and have since continued their playing careers. Dwight Melvin never gained the necessary eligibility he needed to play in the college ranks. Zach Hemmila tragically passed away before he could take over as Arizona's starting center this past season.

Re-ranking the class of 2012 will solely take into account the success that the players have had since entering the college ranks. Here'e what I came up with.

Arizona's prep class of 2012, re-ranked

1) Andrus Peat

Peat played three years at Stanford before going 13th overall to the New Orleans Saints in the 2015 NFL Draft. He's started at both guard and center for the Saints over the last two seasons.

2) Paul Perkins

Paul Perkins redshirted as a freshman at UCLA, and would have gone on to become their all-time leading rusher had he stayed for his senior season, Instead, he left a year early and was drafted by the New York Giants in 2016. His rookie season saw him gain 618 yards from scrimmage on 127 touches.

3) DJ Foster

DJ Foster signed a UDFA contract with the New England Patriots after the 2016 NFL draft, made the team, and went on to win a super bowl ring in his rookie year. His four year career at Arizona State saw him rush and receive for over 2,300 yards each.

4) Avery Moss

Started three games for Nebraska as a redshirt freshman before disciplinary issues led to a transfer to Youngstown State, where he finished 2016 with 10.5 sacks and an appearance in the FCS National Championship game. He was just drafted #167 overall by the New York Giants.

5) JJ Dielman

Arrived on campus at Utah weighing less than 240 pounds, and finished his career as a 6-5, 309 pound versatile starter on the interior and exterior of the offensive line. He was just picked in the 5th round of the 2017 NFL Draft.

6) Alex Barrett

39 tackles for a loss and 18 sacks in his San Diego State career makes Alex Barrett one of the biggest misses as far as ranked prospects from the class of 2012. In a class that was supposed to be filled with great defensive linemen, Barrett stood above the rest.

7) Marquis Bundy

Went to run-heavy New Mexico and finished his college career with only 31 catches, but took advantage of his UDFA opportunity with the Arizona Cardinals and spent the latter part of the season on their active roster.

8) Jeremy Timpf

Jeremy Timpf had a run from 2014-2016 that would make him one of the best defensive players in modern Army football history. The Sabino alum had 321 tackles, and 32.5 for a loss, in his three year run as a linebacker for the Black Knights.

9) Zach Hoffpauir

Zach Hoffpauir left a successful Stanford football career behind to test the waters of the MLB in the Diamondbacks organization. After a year, he returned to the Cardinal and helped lead them to the Sun Bowl.

10) RJ Hollis

Hollis went from Mountain Pointe to Scottsdale Community College, and then on to earn a spot as a two-year starter at right tackle for the Rainbow Warriors, leading them to the Hawaii Bowl in 2016, and being voted the team's "Most Inspirational" player.

11) Reggie Daniels

Daniels' best season was arguably his redshirt sophomore campaign in Eugene, when he had 83 tackles, was responsible for three turnovers, and led the Ducks in tackles in the national championship loss to Ohio State.

12) Davonté Neal

Davonté Neal transfered to Arizona after playing as a freshman at Notre Dame, and after pending time on offense and defense, he found a home as a defensive back as a sophomore. As a junior, Neal had 50 solo tackles and 5 pass break-ups.

13) Daniel Gonzales

Daniel Gonzales lost his senior year, in which he was voted a captain, to injury, but before that he had two solid seasons as a linebacker for the Midshipmen, including a sophomore campaign with 86 tackles and 3 interceptions.

Tied- 14) Jamar Allah and Anthony Lopez

Both Allah and Lopez were four year contributors for the Arizona Wildcats in the defensive backfield. As seniors in 2015 the pair combined for 98 tackles (6 for a loss), and were part of Arizona's improbable 10-win 2014 campaign.

16) Kendyl Taylor

Kendyl Taylor played as a true freshman at Washington in a slotback position, and after three years in Seattle, finished his career with Northern Arizona, registering 875 yards of offense and 5 TDs as a senior.

17) Kody Kohl

Kohl followed up a big junior year at Arizona State that saw him catch 32 passes and 4 TDs with a frustrating senior season that saw him battle injuries and a reduced role in the passing game.

18) Evan Sarver

Sarver played in 49 games and had 21 stats on the Spartans offensive line.

19) Damani Mosby

Damani Mosby started 10 games for Kansas as a senior, and led the team with 7 tackles for a loss. Mosby transferred to Kansas from Mesa Community College.

20) Zach Hemmila

Hemmila should be much higher on this list, as he had earned the starting center role at University of Arizona going into his redshirt senior season, but he sadly passed away before he had the opportunity to play out the season.

21) Blake Kemp

Blake Kemp might be best remembered for throwing for over 300 yards against Florida as a junior at East Carolina. Kemp transferred to NAU to finish his football career and ended up thrust into the starting role, where he threw for 2100+ yards and 17 TDs.

22) Billy Freeman

Like Kody Kohl, Freeman had a big junior year followed by a senior slump. The 48 catches and 6 TDs by Freeman as a junior made him a John Mackey Award semifinalist.

23) Fred Gammage

Gammage walked on at Arizona State, earned a scholarship, and finished his ASU career with 52 receptions and 3 TDs.

24) Chuks Amaechi 

Chuks Amaechi went from Arizona Western to Georgia, where he'd earn his only start as a senior against Vanderbilt, and would appear on the cover of that week's game program.

25) Troy Hawthorne

Hawthorne exploded in his senior season for over 100 tackles and five forced fumbles. Not bad for a converted QB.

26) Edgar Poe

Army doesn't pass the ball. That's what made Edgar Poe's 43 career receptions and 11 TDs so impressive. Poe led the Black Knights in receiving three seasons in a row.

27) Levi Wallace

He's still got a year of eligibility left, and could climb this list after earning himself some playing time at Alabama (yes, THAT Alabama), where he was put on scholarship last season.

28) Connor Brewer

Brewer transferred twice, three times if you count his brief stay at NAU, but the former Texas/Arizona/Virginia QB provided a stable backup option for several FBS teams over his college career.

29) Dallas Brown

Returned 3 interceptions for touchdowns over the course of his career at South Dakota State, and played a major role in the defense all four years post-redshirt. As a senior, Brown had 8 tackles for loss and two forced fumbles.

30) Casey Jahn

Jahn was one of the most prolific high school rushers in Arizona high school history, and finished his NAU career with 2,882 total offensive yards, and 19 TDs.

31) Jordan Gehrke

Gehrke had a stop with Scottsdale Community College before spending four years at the University of Colorado, appearing in nine games and starting once.

Tied- 32) Josh Bamrick and Jake Thomas

Thomas and Bamrick both contributed at a high level for NAU's defense over the last few years.

34) LaRon Tarkington

A four-year starter who had 8 interceptions in the last three years at CSU-Pueblo. Tarkington helped the Thunderwolves achieve a 12-2 season as a junior.

35) Ryan Hawkins

23/28 in field goal attempts in his last two years at NAU.