Canzano: An early look at a blooming Rose
QB Deagan Rose has offers from Oregon, OSU, Utah, Cal, Auburn, and others.
CLOVIS, Calif. — The sun rose over Lamonica Stadium on Friday. The 6,000-seat football cathedral at Clovis High School sat empty. But on an adjacent practice field, the varsity football team had a 6:30 a.m. workout scheduled before classes.
I stood and talked with quarterback Deagan Rose as he warmed up.
The sophomore (Class of 2026) has scholarship offers from Oregon, Oregon State, Utah, Arizona, Cal, Auburn, Arkansas, and nearly a dozen other Division I schools. Earlier this month assistants from 17 different college programs, including Notre Dame, showed up to see the 16-year-old kid nicknamed “Rosie” throw.
“A couple of coaches watched him spin it,” said Clovis High coach Aaron Wilkins, “and offered him on the spot.”
Wilkins is a central figure in this story. In addition to coaching at Northern Illinois University and Liberty University, he was on the staff that coached Buffalo Bills’ quarterback Josh Allen in high school and community college. An autographed Allen jersey hangs on the wall over Wilkins’ desk on campus.
He told me: “Deagan is a better passer than Josh was at this point of his football career.”
Colleges are locking in commitments for the 2025 recruiting class. About 80 percent of those will be firmed up by early July. The bulk of the 2026 class will come into focus next fall and early winter. This spring, Rose, 6-foot-3 and 205 pounds, has become a rapidly rising commodity. As Brandon Huffman, the national recruiting editor for 247Sports told me: “Four-star and trending up.”
What’s it like to be a prized quarterback recruit in today’s world? I asked Rose on Friday. Is he able to be a regular high school kid with the phone ringing, and reporters asking questions? How about when coaches show up unexpectedly to ask if he can meet at the field to throw a few passes? The NIL piece? The wildcard impact of the transfer portal? The varied approaches and pitches by various schools?
The recruiting process has become increasingly complicated. Auburn, for example, has worked tirelessly to stay in regular contact with Rose. And Fresno State’s Jeff Tedford, literally in Rose’s backyard, would love to have the QB who completed 63 percent of his passes last season stick around and play college ball closer to home. The spotlight can be smothering for some, but Rose appears to breathing easy.
“The distraction of it all isn’t that bad,” he told me. “I try not to let it get too crazy and it hasn’t been. For me, the biggest thing is that I like to wear college gear to school, and when a coach from one school shows up and wants to see me throw on the field I don’t want to be in some other school’s gear.”
Rose keeps a plain black T-shirt in his locker at school for such occasions. He changes, heads to the field, throws passes, and talks football and school. The assistants from Notre Dame were interested in Rose’s football IQ, mental processing, and recall. Others appeared more focused on connecting on a personal level.
“Those conversations are very different,” Rose told me.
Some college assistants know that Rose is a middle child, book-ended by two sisters. One of them, the younger sister, plays volleyball. The other is a graphic designer. They also know that his family moved to the area a few years ago and that his father used to play quarterback himself. Also, they know Rose doesn’t specialize in football. He’s also a high school baseball player who started playing catcher in the eighth grade.
Why that position?
“The catcher touches the ball on every play and sees the whole field,” he told me.
Scott Scharton, a baseball coach at the high school also works on the football staff. He told me on Friday: “Deagan could probably be the starting shortstop if he wanted to. He’s got that kind of athleticism and ability, but he wants to play catcher.”
Wilkins, the head coach, has fostered a college-like atmosphere in the program at Clovis High. He arrived three years ago and preaches character, academics, and accountability. Some notable additions to his staff include colleagues he previously worked with at Reedley College and Liberty University.
They’re a fun bunch, too. I sat in the coaching office on Friday. It turned into a scene from a sitcom when an assistant named Joe Baxter marched into the room. Baxter announced he’d dined the previous night at a local restaurant that serves chicken-fried chicken on Thursday nights.
“Chicken-fried chicken?” Wilkins asked.
Baxter nodded.
“Isn’t that just fried chicken?” Wilkins said.
What ensued was a thoughtful discussion on the preparation of this particular chicken dish. The conversation involved details about the breading, a deep-fryer, and a debate about whether a chicken breast could be breaded and subsequently “chicken fried.”
“Whatever the case — best meal in Clovis,” Baxter said.
I didn’t see Josh Allen play high school football. But I did see David Carr under center at Fresno State and Justin Herbert play at Oregon. What I saw of Rose reminds me of those two. Not just with his arm strength and physical build, but with his measured, intelligent, calm, mature demeanor. He’s exactly like Carr and Herbert in that way. And Rose still has two seasons of high school football left.
“I just want to play and get better,” he told me.
I was not surprised to learn that Utah offensive coordinator Andy Ludwig, who called plays for Carr and, later, Joey Harrington in college, covets Rose. The Utes offered a scholarship a couple of weeks ago. Also, I see what Oregon, Oregon State, Cal, and the others see.
“These are not easy throws,” Wilkins, his coach said while we were watching film in his office before practice. “But he makes it look effortless.”
On Friday, I watched Rose drop back in a 7-on-7 drill, plant, and fire a tight spiral on an 18-yard “out” route to the wide side of the field. It was a great throw. But the most remarkable part of the whole thing was how routine Rose made it look.
Nobody cheered.
Nobody gasped.
Rose just completed the pass and said: “Huddle up, guys.”
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I really like the idea of recruiting HS players and keeping them around for a few years. I understand that the transfer portal is here to stay. But it's a shame that we're not going to get to know guys like Dilion Gabriel because he's here for just one season. We don't learn the back stories of these athletes. I think it's killed interest in college basketball and the same could be happening with football. I don't just cheer for the uniform - I root for the athletes that I get to know.
Deagan Rose appears to be a brilliant combination of exceptional athletic skills and a levelheaded ability to see what really matters at his young age. It’ll be fun to see how things go for him
Regarding Coach Wilkins - “He arrived three years ago and preaches character, academics, and accountability.” Coaches in all sports should take that mantra to heart
Gotta give a shout out to our Henley Lady Hornets - off to Eugene to take on Pendleton tomorrow for the state 4A softball championship
GO HORNETS 🐝