Why Resuming High School Football in California Benefits Pac-12 Schools

Friday night lights are back in the state of California.

After a long hiatus due to COVID-19, high school football pressed the resume button last week.

St. John Bosco cruises to 42-21 season opening win against Sierra Canyon in first game in 455 days.

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Now it's no secret that there is tremendous amounts of talent in the state of California, but specifically in the southern region. In fact, ESPN released a 2021 'Top' West Recruits list with 13 players in the top 25 coming from the sunshine state.

Although football resuming in the state of California is positive for high school athletes, it also benefits Pac-12 schools in general.

Sports Illustrated recruiting analyst John Garcia Jr. says, "I think this is a huge advantage for the Pac-12 and USC in particular. Now you get a first hand look at the local prospects."

Garcia Jr. went on that say, "Now all of these great programs are going to ramp back up. Guys who were on your board a year, or a year and a half ago, who you were on the fence about, [they will] get a much clearer picture here in the next few weeks, as high school football is ramping up."

High school football games are a vital part of the college recruiting process, as they allow scouts and coaches to evaluate players strengths and weaknesses in a "real game" setting. During the long hiatus, many kids from the state of California participated in 7x7 tournaments to stay active, involved, and on the recruiting radar.

However, Garcia Jr. believes those tournaments serve less value to scouts than full four-quarter games.

"There is no substitution for that Friday Night Lights [and that] 11 x 11 evaluation. Naturally UCLA and USC are going to intake more of these games just because they are local."

USC currently has six players verbally committed for 2022, and they still have plenty of needs to fill this cycle.

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Getting a closer look at some of the local talent provides a huge advantage in curating relationships, scouting talent and filling needs for the future.

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