This weekend will be the first of 2025 high school football season in which all seven CIF sections across Northern California are in action. So, it's time to unveil The Sporting News Preseason All-NorCal Football Teams for the 2025 California season, consisting of First Team, Second Team, and Third Team.
Primary considerations included players' individual production and team success in 2024 and prior seasons, plus all-state and all-area awards from other sources. Recruiting rankings and college offers were also considered as secondary criteria. For simplicity's sake, players on all Central Section teams were eligible for our All-NorCal teams despite some of the Central Valley arguably counting more as SoCal than NorCal.
Preseason All-Northern California First-Team Offense
QB: Ryder Lyons, Folsom – Sr.
First on the list is California's top-ranked senior prospect and reigning Gatorade Player of the Year. As a junior on the CIF-SJS D1 champion, Lyons completed 68.1% of passes for 3,011 yards and 46 touchdowns to six interceptions, good for a 130.8 passer rating. A 5-star recruit ranked fifth in his class at QB, he also ran for 585 yards and 14 more TDs. Lyons committed to BYU in June out of at least 33 offers.
MORE: Commitments from Lyons, Dybantsa mark BYU's arrival as recruiting powerhouse
QB: Michael Mitchell Jr., Archbishop Riordan – Sr.
Among the state's leading active passers with three-year totals of 6,780 yards and 77 touchdowns despite playing one of the toughest schedules in Northern California. Mitchell is not only a high school star but in fact a high 3-star Vanderbilt commit as well despite coming in a bit under six feet tall, and it helps that his running game took off last season (no pun intended). He ran 45 times for 325 yards and two TDs (7.2 AVG) while recording the most efficient passing season of his career as well.
RB/DB: Jhadis Luckey, California (San Ramon) – Sr.
The reigning 49ers Cal-Hi Sports co-OPOY broke out as one of the state's top RBs in 2024 while putting in work on defense too. After a promising sophomore year at Manteca, Luckey ran for 2,053 yards and 31 touchdowns on 9.6 yards per carry, had 12 catches for 180 yards and two TDs, and made 80 tackles and two interceptions in his first year as a Grizzly. A 3-star prospect, Luckey is now up to 17 offers and is committed to Fresno State.
RB/WR/DB: Jaden Jefferson, De La Salle – Sr.
Jefferson was just a junior when he broke California's 100m record in track with a wind-legal 10.01. The following fall, he ran for 344 yards and four touchdowns on a whopping 11.5 yards per carry, caught six receptions for 36 yards and a TD, scored twice returning kickoffs, and totaled 27 tackles and four TFLs. Whether it's running back or receiver in addition to DB, we expect the high 3-star UNC commit to have a huge season statistically with the reigning NorCal champion needing him to fill big shoes on offense in 2025.
WR: Kenneth Moore III, St. Mary's (Stockton) – Sr. (UCLA)
CLIFFORD OTO/THE STOCKTON RECORD / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn
A UCLA commit ranked as a 4-star recruit by ESPN, Moore was an overwhelming threat every time he got the ball last season no matter how he got it. He grabbed 47 catches for 840 yards and 10 touchdowns, ran for 541 yards and five TDs on 9.8 yards per carry, and recorded two TDs and 464 yards returning punts and kickoffs, totaling 1,845 all-purpose yards and 17 touchdowns.
WR: Jameson Powell, Folsom – Sr.
A high 3-star Ole Miss commit and the most productive receiver on the reigning CIF-SJS Division 1 champion. Powell made 68 catches for 920 yards and 16 touchdowns as a junior after recording 86 catches for 1,231 yards and 14 TDs as a sophomore. Perhaps his signature performance so far was seven catches for 105 yards and a score in a narrow win over Oak Ridge in the 2023 section championship.
TE: Rahzario "Zo" Edwards, Grant Union – Jr.
As just a sophomore, Edwards turned in one of the more impressive seasons a California high school tight end has produced in recent years. He made 51 catches for 921 yards and 14 TDs as Grant won championships at the CIF-SJS Division 2 and state 2-AA levels. Edwards is now a consensus top-100 recruit in the Class of 2027 and has roughly two-dozen offers, including Alabama, USC, Michigan, Oregon, Mississippi, and Texas A&M.
OL: Quinn Buckey, Liberty (Bakersfield) – Sr.
The most decorated O-lineman in the Central Valley with room to spare and a 3-star Michigan State commit with 20 more offers. Per 247Sports, Buckey (6-6, 270) "is a true tackle prospect with an ideal frame for the college game... and has the kind of length coaches covet at the position. He’s technically sound with his hands and feet and should be able to make a smooth transition to the college game. An aggressive player with a nice edge to him."
OL: Vlad Dyakonov, Folsom – Sr.
Dyakonov broke out last season as one of NorCal's premier offensive tackles for the Sac-Joaquin Section Division 1 champion. Most recently listed at 6-7, 280, the 4-star recruit picked USC in April out of 29 offers including Arizona State, Boise State, BYU, and Ole Miss. Per 247Sports' Greg Biggins, "Dyakonov is a fast rising offensive line prospect with a high ceiling. He’s still relatively new to football but has made a huge jump in a short time. Has all the physical traits to play tackle at the college level with a prototype frame, length and athleticism."
OL: Lemani Fehoko, Serra (San Mateo) – Jr.
At just 6-1, 280, Fehoko is already considered by many to be the top offensive lineman in the Bay Area with half of his high school career remaining. He earned First Team All-WCAL and First Team All-State (Cal-Hi Sports Sophomores) honors in 2024 while also spending some time on the D-line, where he may land in college. Fehoko is a 3-star recruit with a dozen offers that include Tennessee, Washington, UNLV, Arizona, and Arizona State.
OL: Colton Hogge, Twelve Bridges – Sr.
As a junior, Hogge (6-5, 260) was the top blocker on a Sac-Joaquin Section D4 champ and 2-A state finalist that eclipsed 4,500 rushing yards and 7,500 total yards of offense. The 3-star Nevada commit was named First Team All-Section by MaxPreps and First Team All-Metro by the Sac Bee. Hogge also has offers from Sacramento State, Eastern Washington, and NAU.
OL: Tommy Tofi, Archbishop Riordan – Sr.
California's top-ranked interior offensive lineman in the Class of 2026, Tofi has surprising versatility and mobility for 6-6, 330. While listed as a guard prospect, Tofi has primarily played tackle for the Crusaders and is also loved by scouts as a nose guard prospect. He flipped from Cal to Oregon in July and possesses at least 30 total offers.
First-Team Defense
DL: Troy Bowens, Sutter – Jr.
Bowens was among California's top breakout stars in 2024, exploding for 76 tackles, 19 TFLs, 13.5 sacks, and 26 QB-hurries to lift Sutter to a league title and CIF-SJS D5 finals appearance. Since then he's become a 4-star recruit and picked up 11 offers, mostly from big-name programs like Notre Dame. He's a prototypical DE at 6-4.5, 255 with good speed and tenacity.
DL: Lua DeBerry, Folsom – Jr.
DeBerry emerged as one of NorCal's premier defensive linemen as a sophomore to lift Folsom to yet another CIF-SJS D1 championship. He led the Bulldogs with 15.5 tackles for loss and two recovered fumbles. DeBerry is a 3-star prospect with offers from Idaho, New Mexico, Sacramento State, and San Diego State.
DL/OL: Nemyah Telona, De La Salle – Sr.
One of California's absolute best two-way linemen, Telona made 10 TFLs for NorCal's top team last season despite sometimes spending more snaps on the offensive line. He's a high 3-star recruit and Cal commit whose other offers include Oregon, Miami, Arizona, and Arizona State.
LB/RB: Wes Burford, Oakdale – Sr.
A 3-star ATH prospect and Air Force commit, Burford had a two-way season for the books to lead Oakdale to the Sac-Joaquin Section D3 finals. He ran for 2,678 yards and 32 touchdowns on 9.1 yards per carry, made six catches for 112 yards and three TDs, and totaled 92 yards, nine tackles for loss, one interception, three fumble recoveries, and two forced fumbles. Throw in 1,819 rushing yards as a sophomore, and Burford has run for 4,497 yards over the last two seasons. To top it off, Burford is one of the state's top wrestlers and a high-caliber track athlete.
LB: Chase Cahoon, Saint Francis (Mountain View) – Sr.
Despite missing a bit of time both seasons, Cahoon was quite productive as a sophomore and junior against one of Northern California's toughest schedules. In 17 combined games, he totaled 172 tackles, 16.5 tackles for loss, and 16 QB-hurries. Cahoon is a 3-star Stanford commit whose other offers include Boise State, UNLV, Washington, and Arizona State.
LB: John McClellan, Rancho Cotate – Sr.
The top-ranked senior linebacker prospect in Northern California per 247Sports, McClellan wreaked havoc with 157 tackles and five sacks in 10 games as a junior. The 3-star recruit committed to Colorado State shortly after visiting in June and also has offers from NAU, UNLV, Sacramento State, and Nevada.
LB: Landon McClendon, St. Mary's (Stockton) – Sr.
A versatile outside backer who thrives in space, McClendon is more impactful than his merely solid junior year numbers show. He totaled 48 tackles (35 solo), 13 tackles for loss, 3.5 sacks, an interception, and a blocked field goal for one of NorCal's top programs, and some of his best work was in coverage. The 3-star recruit also brought his A-game in most of the Rams' biggest games while also seeing his numbers deflated by sitting in the second half of a few total blowout victories.
DB/RB: Jaxon Bell, Liberty (Brentwood) – Sr. (Eastern Washington)
The pinnacle of three-phase productivity over the last two years, Bell has combined totals of 3,342 yards and 39 touchdowns on 8.8 yards per carry, 38 catches for 608 yards and seven TDs, 894 yards and a score returning kicks and punts, and 44 tackles and five interceptions at free safety. That includes career-bests of 1,805 rushing yards and 474 receiving yards as a junior, and he's even completed three of four passes for 48 yards and a touchdown over the last two seasons. Bell is a 3-star Eastern Washington commit whose other offers came from Nevada, NAU, and UAB.
DB/WR: Koby Shabazz, Grant Union – Jr.
Through just half of his high school career, Shabazz is a two-time CIF-SJS champion, two-time 2-AA regional champion, and one-time 2-AA state champion. And then there's his stat line. The 3-star Sacramento State commit caught 83 passes for 1,201 yards and 15 touchdowns as a sophomore, including 34 catches for 625 yards and six touchdowns in five playoff games. He also totaled 534 yards and a TD returning kicks and punts plus 37 tackles, two picks, and two forced fumbles on defense.
DB/WR: Brandon Smith, Central East – Sr.
One of the best running backs and safeties in the state at the same time, Smith put up huge numbers as a junior to lead Central to a CIF-CS Division 1 championship. The high 3-star Arizona commit ran for 1,871 yards and 25 touchdowns, caught 31 passes for 354 yards and two TDs, and recorded 71 tackles, 12.5 TFLs, two sacks, and two interceptions as a rover who makes defensive plays everywhere on the field. Smith's dozen other D-1 offers include Boise State, Fresno State, and UNLV.
DB/RB: Jasen Womack, Oak Ridge – Jr.
A 3-star ATH prospect with offers from UNLV and Colorado State, Womack did some of everything as a junior to help lead Oak Ridge to the CIF-SJS D1 finals. He totaled 75 tackles (six for loss) and seven interceptions, including 14 tackles and two picks against Folsom in the section finals, and that wasn't the whole story. Womack also returned two punts and a kickoff for touchdowns, ran for 13 touchdowns, caught for 375 yards and four touchdowns, and even threw two touchdown passes.
Preseason All-Northern California Second-Team Offense
QB: Sands Dougherty, Morro Bay – Sr.
Dougherty completed 71.4% of passes for 4,441 yards and 50 touchdowns in 2024 as his Pirates came up one score short of a Central Section title. And he racked up 908 yards and eight touchdowns on the ground. That made him No. 1 in the state in total yards of offense, and makes him arguably the top-unranked offensive player in the state.
QB: Deagan Rose, Clovis – Sr.
A high 3-star recruit who committed to Oregon State a year ago over Oregon, Arizona State, Boise State, and more than a dozen other D-1s. And he's a D-1 baseball prospect too. Over the last two seasons, Rose threw 5,612 yards and 50 touchdowns and ran for 17 TDs against a TRAC schedule. 247Sports calls him "one of the top pure throwers in the West region."
RB: Eli Dukes, Palma – Jr.
There can't be many running backs in recent California history who've accomplished more than Dukes in just the first half of their high school football careers. Dukes lifted Palma to a CIF-CCS D3 title and 4-A state crown as a freshman with 1,229 yards and 18 touchdowns, including 212 yards and four TDs in the state finals to beat Mission Oak 31-21. As a sophomore, he helped lead the Chieftains to the Central Coast Section D2 finals with 2,034 yards and 19 touchdowns on 8.0 yards per carry to go with 12 catches for 173 yards and a TD.
RB/DB: Isaiah Ene, Granite Bay – Sr.
Ene enters his senior year with career totals of 444 carries for 2,993 yards and 38 touchdowns, 31 catches for 378 yards and two TDs, 483 combined yards returning kickoffs and punts, and 253 tackles (six for loss), 10 interceptions with three returned for touchdowns, and two fumble recoveries on defense. That includes career-highs of 1,401 rushing yards, 7.1 yards per carry, 21 rushing touchdowns, 17 receptions, 221 receiving yards, and two receiving TDs as a junior, and his 88 tackles were the most on the team. Ene is a 3-star Sacramento State commit at ATH whose other offers include Arizona, Washington, UNLV and Colorado.
WR: Demaje Riley, Tulare Union – Jr.
It's not much of an exaggeration to say Riley did it all last season on offense, with 46 catches for 915 yards and 12 touchdowns as a starting point. He also played quarterback for two games, both wins, completing 18 of 27 passes for 148 yards and a touchdown and rushing 14 times for 224 yards and a score. Throw in a punt return touchdown, and that comes out to 17 all-purpose touchdowns and 1,287 total yards of offense in 10 games for the high 3-star UCLA commit.
WR: Cynai Thomas, Archbishop Riordan – Sr.
Over the last two years, the high 3-star Oregon State commit has totaled 88 catches for 1,406 yards and 19 touchdowns against a challenging schedule. Thomas has a combination of speed, length, and pass-catching skill like few others at 6-3, 165, and had 20 more offers including Oregon, Mississippi, Auburn, Iowa State, and Washington.
TE: Israel Briggs, Redwood (Visalia) – Sr.
A 4-star Miami commit and reigning Cal-Hi Sports All-State selection who'll finish his career at Redwood. As a sophomore in 2023, Briggs recorded 44 receptions for 571 yards and eight touchdowns at Mt. Whitney, and he's a good blocker too. He has 26 total D-1 offers including Ole Miss, Oregon, LSU, and Florida State.
OL: Carsten Campbell, Frontier – Jr.
With prototypical size for a guard prospect at 6-4, 305, Campbell earned First Team All-State (Sophomores) honors from Cal-Hi Sports after helping lead the Titans to a Central Section I-A crown and state 3-AA title. He's ranked as a 3-star prospect and has been offered by Sacramento State, Fresno State, and San Diego State.
OL: Kaleb Caudillo, Merced – Sr.
The reigning Central California Conference Lineman of the Year, and one of the premier unranked linemen in the state. Caudillo is one of the biggest reasons Merced averaged nearly 40 PPG in 2024 and he has a long, projectable frame for a tackle at 6-5, 255. He was also named an All-State Junior by Cal-Hi Sports in 2024.
OL: Michael Langi, Archbishop Riordan – Sr.
A "small" (6-3, 265) but vicious 3-star Arizona commit who made Second Team All-WCAL as a junior. Langi is one of the strongest pound-for-pound linemen in California and has quick feet in short-range situations, making him a prototypical IOL. West Coast Preps ranked him as the No. 3 offensive lineman and No. 21 player in NorCal.
OL: Roger Vanderhoef, Grant Union – Sr.
A huge tackle who makes his enormous frame count, Vanderhoef is a 3-star Sacramento State commit at 6-8, 340. He's helped lead the Pacers to back-to-back Sac-Joaquin Section titles and a 2024 2-AA state title as well.
OL: Sunia Vuki, Folsom – Sr.
Vuki is a mammoth of a 3-star Oklahoma State commit at 6-5, 350 with physicality. He was named First Team All-Metro by the Sacramento Bee and Third Team All-State (Juniors) by Cal-Hi Sports as a junior at Casa Roble. His addition up front gives Folsom one of NorCal's premier offensive lines and raises the team's ceiling substantially.
Second-Team Defense
DL: Dakota Dickson, Monte Vista – Sr.
Despite facing a heavy dose of double and triple teams, Dickson registered 48 tackles, 12.5 TFLs, and four sacks as a junior. He's a 3-star recruit and imposing DL at 6-4, 280 who picked SMU out of 22 offers including Oklahoma State, Baylor, Louisville, Ole Miss, and Arizona State.
DL: Cole Goldsworthy, Amador Valley – Sr.
As a junior, Goldsworthy was one of the top stars on the CIF-North Coast Section Division 2 champion. He has a prototypical length for a DE at 6-5.5, 220 and committed to UNLV over Cal Poly, Idaho State, Montana, and NAU.
DL: Koi Taiese, McClymonds – Sr.
Taiese was one of the top players last year on a defense that allowed just 15.3 PPG. He's a force at 6-3, 295 and 3-star San Diego State commit.
LB/TE: Zephaniah Sesay, Redwood (Visalia) – Sr.
The 3-star Fresno State commit will play his senior year at Visalia after spending his first three at Hanford. Sesay only played 14 games across his sophomore and junior years but he was very productive for a good team, including at TE. He totaled 97 tackles, 11 TFLs, 3.5 sacks, four passes defensed, and two forced fumbles, and made 13 catches for 252 yards and five touchdowns plus four rushing TDs.
LB/DL: Japheth Tofaeono, Pittsburg – Sr.
Over the last two seasons, Tofaeono has recorded 90 tackles, 69 solo tackles, 29 tackles for loss, six sacks, and three fumble recoveries for the CIF-NCS Division 1 champion. That included a career-high 18 TFLs in 2024.
LB: Bubba Vargas, De La Salle – Sr.
As a junior, Vargas was one of the most productive defensive players on the No. 1 team in Northern California. He totaled 67 tackles, nine TFLs, and two interceptions. Vargas is quite undersized for a linebacker at 5-8, but at 185 pounds with football IQ and tenacity, he's known to hurt some ballcarriers' feelings.
LB: Chase Wyhlidko, Twelve Bridges – Sr.
Wylhidko put up monster numbers as the Raging Rhinos rampaged to a CIF-SJS Division 4 crown. He racked up 147 tackles, 14.5 TFLs, two sacks, 10 QB-hurries, and two interceptions in addition to chipping in at running back en-route to a 14-1 season.
DB/WR: Rahsjon Duncan, McClymonds – Sr.
Duncan got it done on both ends as a junior, totaling 38 catches for 794 yards and seven touchdowns plus 28 tackles, three interceptions, and two forced fumbles for the Oakland Section juggernaut. 247Sports compared the high 3-star Washington commit to Marcus Peters – All-Pro CB and son of McClymonds head coach Michael Peters – and wrote "Duncan is on the short list when talking about the most physical defensive backs out West... Not only is he capable of playing anywhere in the secondary, he’s skilled enough at receiver to play at the Power 4 level on offense as well."
DB: Donovan Dunmore, Buchanan (Clovis) – Sr.
Dunmore had an outstanding junior campaign that went a bit under the radar as a result of playing in the loaded TRAC. The high 3-star Oregon State commit managed 58 tackles and a team-high 30 solo tackles playing corner, and he also grabbed five interceptions, including a pick-six against Central East. Dunmore is a blur with a 10.57-second 100m despite a bulkier build at 6-0, 190.
DB/RB: Mariyon Sloan, Shafter – Sr.
Sloan entered his junior year having eclipsed 800 receiving yards in both of his first two seasons of high school football and then had a marvelous transition to RB – despite the fact that he was forced to spend six games at QB due to an injury to star signal caller Ezekiel Osborne. Sloan, a 3-star ATH prospect and Boise State commit, ran for 1,419 yards and 21 touchdowns on a whopping 11 yards per carry, completed 28 of 49 passes for 270 yards and two TDs, made 24 catches for 331 yards and six TDs, totaled 222 yards and two TDs returning punts, and was also a star on defense with 72 tackles (three for loss), three interceptions, and a 26-yard fumble recovery TD for the Central Section D4 finalist.
DB: Oshea Webb, Clovis East – Sr.
One of California's most underrated DBs coming out of the Central Section, Webb had a huge 2024 to help lead Clovis East to a 12-1 record, sweep of the TRAC, and section finals appearance. The 3-star Utah State commit snagged five interceptions and returned them a total of 327 yards and three touchdowns. Webb also registered 59 tackles and team-highs of 13 passes defensed and two forced fumbles. He has at least 14 offers to play corner at the next level.
Preseason All-Northern California Third-Team Offense
QB: Jelani Dippel, Central East – Jr.
Dippel exploded out of the gate as a first-time starter as a sophomore, lifting the Bengals to a Central Section title with 3,515 yards and 41 touchdowns in the air. He also ran for 395 yards and three TDs on 7.7 yards per carry.
QB: Reeve Slone, Rocklin – Sr.
While Slone's sophomore and junior year numbers don't wow you, the 3-star Nevada commit has shown an ability like few others to lead a team to playoff glory at a high level of competition. And local scouts will tell you he's far more dominant than his numbers show. Between 2023 and 2024, in which Rocklin made the Sac-Joaquin Section D2 finals twice and won one title, Slone completed just under 60% of his passes for 4,539 yards and 43 touchdowns to 12 interceptions, and ran for 508 yards and 10 TDs.
DB/RB: Mason Caturegli, St. Vincent de Paul – Sr.
After running for 1,148 yards and eight touchdowns on a section and state champion as a sophomore, it turned out Caturegli was just getting started. St. Vincent repeated as NCS and state champion in 2024, and Caturegli went off for 1,495 yards and 28 touchdowns on 9.5 yards per carry plus 27 catches for 451 yards and five TDs. He's also been productive at safety both years with combined totals of 152 tackles, 18.5 tackles for loss, two interceptions, and two fumble recoveries. Caturegli is a 3-star ATH prospect with offers from Portland State and Sacramento State.
RB: Dathen Moore, Lassen – Sr.
Representing the Northern Section, Moore led Lassen to a NSCIF Division 3 championship with 2,492 yards and 30 touchdowns on 10.5 yards per carry in 2024, and had 11 catches for 195 yards and a TD as well. He ran for more than 100 yards in every game, and had a season-best 274 yards and four TDs in a 49-35 win over Orland for the section title. Moore might've run for another 1,000 yards if Lassen didn't bury many of its opponents in the first half.
WR: Langdon Horace, Edison (Stockton) – Sr.
A high 3-star prospect headed to Stanford, Horace is listed as an ATH prospect despite cracking 1,000 receiving yards as a junior. Over the last two seasons, he totaled 97 catches for 1,755 yards and 16 touchdowns.
WR: EJ Morgan, Central East – Sr.
The high 3-star Oregon State commit's 2024 numbers don't jump off the page, but the attention he commanded from opposing defenses was one of the biggest reasons for the Bengals' Central Section title. Morgan made 45 catches for 657 yards and eight touchdowns in one of the state's most crowded receiver units.
TE: Kobie Watson, Frontier – Sr.
Watson is a high 3-star recruit and New Mexico State commit with the high school resume and maximum ceiling of a 4-star or 5-star guy. A 6-foot-4 tight end with track speed, Watson has career totals of 91 catches for 1,415 yards and 16 touchdowns, and has even recorded 411 yards returning kickoffs and two interceptions – not common for a full-sized TE. As a junior, he had 448 receiving yards and 623 all-purpose yards as Frontier won a Central Section I-A title and state 3-AA championship.
OL: Garrett Bertsch, Los Gatos – Sr.
Bertsch had a dominant junior year in which he helped lead Los Gatos to the CIF-CCS D1 finals. He's a 3-star recruit who picked Cal Poly over Brown, Cornell, and Lehigh. At 6-4, 260, Bertsch has the strength to dominate against DTs and NGs despite being on the lean side for a guard, giving him considerable longterm upside.
OL: John Fifita, Saint Francis (Mountain View) – Sr.
A reigning All-WCAL honoree and one of NorCal's very highest-ranked offensive linemen, Fifita has the upside to have a First Team All-State senior campaign at 6-6, 350 with mobility. The 3-star USC commit is agile enough to play tackle, but he's considered more of a guard prospect by many.
OL: Ronnie Noa-Keil, Grant Union – Sr.
A second Grant offensive lineman on this list, Noa-Keil has been slept on as a D-1 prospect up to this point but is one of the very best IOLs in NorCal, and perhaps the winningest too. The four-year letterman has already been on three section and regional championship teams and has won two state crowns as well. He's an unmovable object at 6-0, 290.
OL: King Pitts, Cardinal Newman – So.
A potential 5-star prospect in the North Bay? Pitts now plays for the Cardinals after playing his freshman year at Kapa'a and is ranked seventh at OT in the Class of 2028. He already has a prototypical frame at 6-5, 255 while still growing, and checks all the boxes you want to see in a tackle.
OL: Tyja Starks Jr., Sacred Heart Cathedral Prep – Sr.
Starks is one of the more underrated O-linemen in Northern California, but his stock is certainly on the rise. The nationally-ranked Florida A&M commit was one of the only underclassmen to make Second Team All-WCAL as a junior, and is a bully on the gridiron at 6-1, 305. Starks also has offers from New Mexico State, North Carolina A&T, and Miles College.
Third-Team Defense
DL: Francis Taamu, Stockton (Edison) – Sr.
CLIFFORD OTO/THE STOCKTON RECORD / USA TODAY NETWORK
One of NorCal's most prolific DTs, Taamu recorded 13 sacks and another 11 tackles for loss not including the sacks in 2024. He's not ranked by 247Sports but does have an offer from Georgetown.
DL: Lance Mitchell Jr., Moreau Catholic – Sr.
The 3-star San Jose State commit helped Moreau Catholic to a CIF-NCS D7 championship and 7-AA state crown as a junior. Mitchell totaled 73 tackles, a team-high 15 TFLs, six sacks, and two forced fumbles.
DL: DJ Sanchez, Archbishop Riordan – Jr.
Even at 6-1, 205, Sanchez emerged as one of the Bay Area's top DEs as a sophomore. He broke out for 77 tackles, eight sacks, and another seven TFLs, and is now a 3-star prospect with offers from Utah, UNLV, and San Diego State.
LB: Julian Bruno, Grant Union – So.
Bruno is one of just two sophomores on this list after his freshman campaign couldn't possibly have gone a lot better. He totaled 84 tackles, seven tackles for loss, 2.5 sacks, an interception, and 2 forced fumbles as the Pacers won section and state titles. Bruno now has since received offers from Sacramento State, Oklahoma State, and San Jose State.
LB: Troy Simonson, Nipomo – Jr.
Simonson was named Second Team All-State (Sophomores) by Cal-Hi Sports after producing like crazy as a sophomore. He recorded 109 tackles (65 solo), seven tackles for loss, three sacks, an interception, two recovered fumbles, four forced fumbles, and two blocked kicks, and he contributed at RB and KR too.
LB: Skylar Tiatia, Archbishop Riordan – Sr.
Yet another Crusader to make our All-Norcal teams, Tiatia is a 3-star San Jose State commit who ups his game when it's needed most. He recorded 110 tackles, six TFLs, and two sacks in 2024 after making 44 tackles and nine TFLs in just five games as a sophomore.
DB/WR: Truly Bell, Pittsburg – Sr.
Despite missing a few games, Bell got it done on both ends as Pittsburg won another CIF-NCS D1 title and regional championship. The 3-star Oregon State commit had 36 tackles, eight tackles for loss, five interceptions, and 12 pass break-ups between 2023 and 2024. And Bell emerged as a helpful receiver last season too with 18 catches for 332 yards and seven touchdowns.
DB/QB: Carson Floyd, Whitney (Rocklin) – Sr.
Floyd's case is simple – he not only started at QB for Whitney but also safety, where he recorded six interceptions and 39 tackles. Whitney struggled going 2-8 against an SFL schedule, but if he can put up big numbers again with more team success, he could break out as an MVP candidate at the section or state level.
DB/WR: Jermaine Missouri, Rodriguez – Sr.
Rodriguez seemed to go under the radar last year while dominating throughout its 11-1 season, and Missouri had his fingerprints all over its success. He caught 51 passes for 1,119 yards and 19 touchdowns, totaled 336 yards and a touchdown as a return specialist, and grabbed three interceptions, earning Junior All-State honors from Cal-Hi Sports. Missouri was at his best in the Mustangs' biggest games, including a resounding upset of Vanden and a narrow win over Vacaville for a league title.
DB: Jayden Nicholas, De La Salle – Sr.
While he didn't make a dent in the stat sheet, Nicholas was one of NorCal's best CBs in coverage as a junior, totaling 24 tackles (2.5 for loss) and two fumble recoveries. He also had two catches for 111 yards and a touchdown, which was actually enough to make him one of De La Salle's top receivers statistically. Nicholas is a 3-star recruit who committed to Montana out of 10 offers including Arizona, UNLV, and Washington State.
DB: Malakai Taufoou, Serra (San Mateo) – Jr.
After a breakout sophomore year in which he totaled 35 tackles and three picks, the 4-star safety might have another leap in him in 2025. Taufoou is a big DB for his age at 6-2, 195, and his 17 offers include Ohio State, BYU, Michigan, and Tennessee.
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