Scouting the Alamo City Part 1

Sure, San Antonio has started to receive a lot more respect when it comes to recruiting. But it's still not enough. After several schools made the move up to 5A and made noise in the playoffs, the notion that SA athletes can't compare to Metroplex and Houston kids started to diminish. While more colleges are in San Antonio recruiting the cream of the crop, there are still a ton of kids that will fall through the cracks. This is my attempt to point out some under-the-radar athletes that currently lack Division I offers.

Aron Taylor (WR, Warren HS)
6'2" 195 lbs.

Picture courtesy of MySA.com

Aron is actually my inspiration for starting this series. He tweeted that he would be attending UTSA's combine/camp this Friday which led me to look him up a little bit. I was stunned that this kid doesn't even have a Rivals profile. He's big and strong, has terrific hands, runs sharp routes and seems like a high character type. Oh yeah, and he runs a 4.4 40 yard dash with a 32" vertical leap. Aron was 1st team all-district and 2nd team all-area as a junior. As Burnt Orange Nation contributor Jonathan Wells, who described Aron as "a poor man's Jake Oliver", points out "[Taylor] had 45 rec. for 792 yards (18 ypc) and 13 rec TDs. Lead his team in yards and TDs. Taylor should pile up the stats in '12. Plays in pass-heavy system; 8 teammates caught at least one pass in 2011, but 7 have graduated." I'm hoping UTSA will extend an offer after camp on Friday.

Grant Watanabe (LB, Brennan HS)
5'11" 200 lbs.

One of San Antonio's best prospects from the class of 2014, Watanbe should end up signing with a top Division I program. For what it's worth, his older brother Ethan signed with Hawaii last year. Watanbe leads an exciting young defense that also features preseason district defensive MVP Derick Roberson, a defensive end with a Texas A&M offer. Watanbee is very quick and reactive and should be a solid outside linebacker in college. His anticipation and ball skills set him above the pack. Watanbe has the genetics for football-- Tony Moeaki is his uncle.

P.J. Hall (DE, Seguin HS)
6'1" 250 lbs.

Picture courtesy of the Seguin Gazette

A three year starter at defensive end for the Matadors, P.J. Hall played across current UTSA walk-on Codie Brooks. An all-district defensive MVP, Hall is an extremely strong end with an impressive wing span. Those long arms didn't hold Hall back from becoming a state qualifier in power lifting. P.J. moves extremely well for 250 pounds (4.8 40 yard dash) and even carries the ball on offense from time to time. Hell, P.J. had 90 yards and two rushing TDs in Seguin's playoff loss to Wagner last year. With 121 tackles under his belt last season, Hall should definitely be attracting more attention from recruiters. P.J. also carries a 3.5 GPA, volunteers at his church and even plays drums in the Matador band.


Garrett Neuman (OT/OG, Medina Valley HS)
6'4" 375 lbs.

Yeah, that 375 isn't a typo. Neuman is a gargantuan force on the line of scrimmage-- an impact blocker in the truest sense. While Neuman will probably have to lose weight and move to the interior at the next level, he has sheer brute force and a mean streak that you can't teach kids. His coach describes him as "intelligent with good feet for a big man".

Bobby Garza (ATH, McCollum)
6'0" 180 lbs.

Bobby is one of those kids that had his development stunted a little bit by moving around to so many different positions throughout the years. A varsity contributor since his sophomore year, Garza has seen significant time at free safety, wide receiver, and running back. In his junior season, Garza found his calling as the Cowboys' feature back. He amassed 1,135 yards on 137 carries with 17 touchdowns and 321 yards on just 19 receptions for three TDs. Garza has a solid build and runs a 4.5 second 40 yard dash. A nice combination of size and speeds, Garza does a great job of shrugging off would-be tacklers. Outside of his escapades at running back, Bobby also pulled in four interceptions in the secondary. While he doesn't have any offers yet, he does report interest from UTSA on his Rivals page.


To be continued shortly...

Aside: Dave Campbell's Texas Football magazine says Sam Brown is going to UTSA. He was an all-district WR/RB at MacArthur (Houston) last year. Haven't been able to find any confirmation.