High school football: Top 50 California players from the Class of 2022

Top prospect Domani Jackson headlines look at Golden State's top seniors according to 247Sports.

Thumbnail image of this articles writer: Mitch Stephens
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Jul 28, 2021, 2:30pm
Ahead of the 2021 high school football season, MaxPreps is breaking down the top senior prospects in the country state-by-state as rated by 247Sports. We continue the series with California, which opens play Aug. 20.

Mater Dei (Santa Ana) is No. 1 in the MaxPreps Top 25 national rankings and with three of the top four and four of the top seven in the top senior rankings it's easy to understand why. USC commit Domani Jackson sits at No. 1, while fellow Monarchs linebacker David Bailey and running back Raleek Brown, an Oklahoma commit, rank Nos. 3 and 4, respectively, for the Santa Ana juggernaut.

While Mater Dei boasts an impressive six of the top 50, rival St. John Bosco (Bellflower) shows off seven. Alemany (Mission Hills) also has six on the list.

247SPORTS: Complete California player rankings

By position, defensive lineman and defensive backs dominated with nine prospects each, followed by linebacker (seven), wide receiver (six) and quarterback (five). Perhaps because California high school football played only a short season in the fall, only 28 of the 50 have committed as of July 23. UCLA and Cal lead the landing spots with four of the top 50 Golden State recruits each. 
Katin Houser, St. John Bosco
Katin Houser, St. John Bosco
File photo by Heston Quan
California's Top 25 football players from Class of 2022

1. Domani Jackson | Mater Dei (Santa Ana, Calif.)
6-1 | 185 | CB | USC commit
Nation's No. 5 recruit overall and No. 2 cornerback has been compared to Minnesota Vikings CB Xavier Rhodes.

2. Tetairoa McMillan | Servite (Anaheim)
6-3 | 185 | WR | Undecided
Long frame, wingspan and tremendous three-sport athlete — he plays basketball and volleyball as well — is picking between Stanford, USC, Arizona and Oregon.

3. David Bailey | Mater Dei (Santa Ana)
6-3 | 220 | LB | Undecided
Natural pass rusher is also an excellent open-field tackler. Reminds some of another top SoCal native, Anthony Barr.

4. Raleek Brown | Mater Dei (Santa Ana)
5-8 | 185 | RB | Oklahoma
Nation's No. 2 running back overall is explosive speed merchant and also receiving threat with 35 offers.

5. Jalil Tucker | Lincoln (San Diego)
6-0 | 180 | ATH | Undecided
Track speed combined with competitive nature, instincts, has drawn 22 offers with All Pac-12 teams in the mix.

6. Earnest Greene III | St. John Bosco (Bellflower)
6-5 | 330 | OL | Undecided
Nation's No. 2 rated interior offensive lineman has 24 offers, but expect him to pick between Ohio State and Alabama.

7. C.J. Williams | Mater Dei (Santa Ana)
6-2 | 193 | WR | Undecided
A remarkable 43 college offers, Williams is ranked the 11th best receiver in the country. He's visited Notre Dame, Stanford, Texas and Ohio State.

8. Hero Kanu | Santa Margarita (Rancho Santa Margarita)
6-5 | 293 | DL | Undecided
Compared to Cameron Hayward of the Pittsburgh Steelers, Kanu has played two years of organized football but made huge impressions.

9. Niuafe Tuihalamaka | Alemany (Mission Hills)
6-2 | 235 | LB | Notre Dame
Started as a freshman on one of Southern California's top programs. Picked Irish over Texas, USC, Arizona and Arizona State.

10. Kamari Ramsey | Sierra Canyon (Chatsworth)
6-2 | 195 | S | Undecided
Stanford, Arizona State, UCLA and USC among his 20 offers.

11. Zeke Berry | De La Salle (Concord)
6-0 | 185 | CB | Arizona
Also a standout receiver, Berry is one of the most sought-after players in recent history for one of the nation's all-time top programs.

12. Jadyn Marshall | St. Mary's (Stockton)
6-1 | 180 | WR | UCLA
As a sophomore, had 68 catches for 1,128 yards and nine touchdowns, to go with 253 rushing yards and five more scores.

13. Maalik Murphy | Serra (Gardena)
6-5 | 225 | QB | Texas
Ranked the No. 9 quarterback in the country, Murphy has remarkable upside and strong arm.

14. Gracen Halton | St. Augustine (San Diego)
6-3 | 270 | DB | Oregon
Quick, athletic (33-inch vertical jump) and productive, Halton possesses all the tools.

15. Rayshon Luke | St. John Bosco (Bellflower)
5-8 | 175 | RB | Undecided
Possesses 12 college offers, including Duke, Arizona State and Georgia.

16. Larry Turner-Gooden | Alemany (Mission Hills)
6-0 | 180 | ATH | Arizona State
Blessed with power and great speed, Turner-Gooden can play either receiver or safety in college; Also tremendous returner.

17. Jaden Mickey | Centennial (Corona)
6-0 | 175 | CB | Notre Dame
Picked Irish over 18 other suitors, including Arizona, Arizona State, Georgia, Michigan State and USC.

18. Keyan Burnett | Servite (Anaheim)
6-5 | 225 | TE | Undecided
Ranked the No. 7 tight end in the country, Burnett has 17 offers including USC, Arizona State, Cal, Miami and Nebraska.

19. Jack Pedersen | Vista Murrieta (Murrieta)
6-4 | 235 | TE | UCLA
Picked the Bruins over 21 other schools, including Duke, Florida State, Michigan State, Oregon and Ole Miss.

20. Ephesians Prysock | Alemany (Mission Hills)
6-3 | 170 | CB | Undecided
Tremendous size and length is considering Ohio State, Tennessee, UCLA and USC.

21. Tayvion Beasley | St. John Bosco (Bellflower)
5-10 | 165 | CB | Undecided
Tenacious, competitive corner who stars on one of the nation's top teams.

22. Katin Houser | St. John Bosco (Bellflower)
6-3 | 200 | QB | Michigan State
An Elite 11 finalist, Houser will share time with 2023 standout Pierce Clarkson, forming perhaps the best 1-2 QB tandem in America.

23. Justyn Martin | Inglewood
6-4 | 210 | QB | Cal
Ranked the No. 21 quarterback overall in the country, Martin is a pro-style signal-caller. Ole Miss, Arizona State, Colorado and Florida Atlantic were other suitors.

24. Kevin Green | Alemany (Mission Hills)
5-11 | 175 | WR | USC
Tough, speedy receiver picked the Trojans over Oregon, Nebraska and Arizona State, among others.

25. Arlis Boardingham | Birmingham (Lake Balboa)
6-4 | 220 | ATH | Undecided
Played quarterback as a freshman, moved to receiver as a sophomore and is a big time defender also. Texas and Arizona State are likely two finalists.

The rest of the best
26. Sterling Lane | Oaks Christian (Westlake Village) | 6-4 | 235 | LB | Undecided
27. Mekhi Fox | Pasadena (Pasadena) | 6-1 | 190 | ATH | UCLA
28. Sione Hala | St. John Bosco (Bellflower) | 6-2 | 190 | S | Boston College
29. Hassan Mahasin | Serra (San Mateo) | 5-10 | 185 | ATH | Undecided
30. Jahlil Florence | Lincoln (San Diego) | 6-1 | 180 | CB | Undecided
31. Mathias Malaki-Donaldson | Oaks Christian (Westlake Village) | 6-5 | 220 | DE | Undecided
32. De'Jon Roney | Etiwanda | 6-1 | 295 | DL | Undecided
33. Jordan Williams | Etiwanda | 5-11 | 180 | WR | Undecided
34. Damonic Williams | Alemany (Mission Hills) | 6-2 | 325 | DL | Cal
35. Jayden Denegal | Apple Valley | 6-4 | 215 | QB | Michigan
36. Eoghan Kerry | Mater Dei (Santa Ana) | 6-3 | 225 | LB | Undecided
37. Jaxson Moi | Cathedral Catholic (San Diego) | 6-2 | 260 | DL | Cal
38. Jalen Woods | St. John Bosco (Bellflower) | 6-0 | 210 | LB | UCLA
39. Jonah Coleman | Lincoln (Stockton) | 5-9 | 205 | RB | Arizona
40. Taariq Al-Uqdah | Inglewood | 6-0 | 202 | LB | Washington State
41. Nate Johnson | Clovis | 6-2 | 183 | QB | Utah
42. Nathan Burrell | St. John Bosco (Bellflower) | 6-2 | 285 | DL | Cal
43. Cooper Barkate | Mater Dei (Santa Ana) | 6-1 | 182 | ATH | Undecided
44. Rashad McKenzie | Alemany (Mission Hills) | 6-4 | 270 | DL | Undecided
45. Kevont'e Henry | Leuzinger (Lawndale) | 6-4 | 225 | LB | Michigan
46. Kenji Swanson | Sierra Canyon (Chatsworth) | 6-6 | 307 | OT | Stanford
47. Mason Graham | Servite (Anaheim) | 6-3 | 280 | DL | Cal Poly
48. Zamondre Merriweather | Valencia | 6-2 | 200 | ATH | Cal Poly
49. Zach Rowell | Torrey Pines (San Diego, Calif.) | 6-5 | 260 | DL | Undecided
50. A.J. Jones | Colony (Ontario, Calif.) | 6-4 | 195 | WR | Arizona

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