Several top high school players sign on early
Milpitas’ Bracy, Serra’s Nunn among the locals putting pen to paper
More than a dozen Bay Area high school football players took advantage of the NCAA’s new early signing period Wednesday, putting pen to letters-of-intent as they made their oral commitments official.
Milpitas defensive back Tariq Bracy signed with Notre Dame.
Washington State received signatures from Valley Christian defensive back D’Angelo McKenzie and defensive end RJ Stone and Serra athlete Patrick Nunn.
Bishop O’Dowd’s Jevon Holland signed with Oregon, and Mitty’s Nick Alftin and Menlo’s JH Tevis submitted letters of intent to Cal.
But the big news of the day came out of Serra, where 6-foot3, 360-pound lineman Atonio Mafi signed with UCLA after earlier giving Cal an oral commitment.
Jerry Azzinaro recruited Mafi to Cal, but the coach has moved on to UCLA as the defensive coordinator under Chip Kelly.
“Not only the football, but just the whole culture of Westwood and being in L.A.,” Mafi said at a signing ceremony at Serra. “It was just something about being away from home, where I can grow and be independent and just grow to be a man.”
The early signing period began Wednesday and runs through Friday.
Signing will reopen on the traditional national letter-of-intent day, which is the first Wednesday in February.
Several Bay Area players signed shortly after they could in the early period.
Notre Dame announced Bracy’s signing on Twitter at 7:39 a.m. Bracy starred on offense, defense and special teams in high school but was recruited as a defender.
“Our roster just added a dynamic playmaker to the fold,” Notre Dame coach Brian Kelly wrote on Twitter.
After Berean Christian defensive tackle Isaac Hodgins signed early Wednesday with Oregon State, his new coach, Jonathan Smith, wrote on Twitter, “He’s explosive, quick off the ball, and holds his school record for career tackles.”
In his news conference, Cal coach Justin Wilcox discussed what he liked about Mitty’s Alftin.
“We got to know him early in the process,” Wilcox said. “His sister goes to school here. He’s very athletic, a volleyball player. You see the explosion he has, and the agility. He’s going to be a really big guy. He’s still growing.
“He will start out at outside linebacker. Here’s a guy who’s 6-5 and upwards of 240. He’s got a lot of position flexibility.”