PHOENIX, Ariz. -- With all influx of mid-school year transfers in December & January that allowed players to compete in track and spring ball at their new school, our next influx of transfers should be immediately after the school year & track season ends. We have also had a handful of big names move schools over the past few weeks.
With that being said, there are a number of players that have already publicly announced or changed their twitter bios to indicate that they are on the move to start off the calendar year of 2024:
Jacob Brown
Position: RB
Class: 2026
Offers: Arizona State
Previous School: Saguaro
New School: Hamilton
2023 Stats: 47 rush, 360 yards, 8 total TDs (1 rec)
Saguaro is now at 12 transfers that I am aware of and Brown is arguably the biggest loss thus far. He did not get to see a ton of carries during his sophomore season as senior three-star Cal Poly signee Jaedon Matthews rushed for nearly 1,000 yards and 18 TDs while recording another 400 receiving yards and three TDs as the lead back for the 6A champs. However, Brown made the most of his opportunities as he rushed 10 times for 116 yards and 2 TDs in the state championship game against Red Mountain. He received his first D-I offer from Arizona State this offseason and he is bound to rack up more by the end of his junior season as he has a solid chance to be the best running back in the Arizona 2026 class.
For Hamilton, this is a huge pickup and fills a big hole that seniors Breylon Blount and Avery Knight will leave.
For Saguaro, this means that rising senior Elias Johnson, who played almost all of his snaps at linebacker last season, will likely be the team's lead back. He rushed for over 1,400 yards and 18 TDs (3 rec) as a sophomore at Tempe, winning 2022 BJ Media Two-Way Player of the Year honors.
Kamden Seagall
Position: TE
Class: 2026
Previous School: Saguaro
New School: Liberty
2023 Stats: 32 rec, 478 yards, 6 TDs
Another huge loss for Saguaro is rising junior tight end Kam Seagall. He was TE1 for the Sabercats as a sophomore, totaling just under 500 yards and 6 TDs while making key blocks for running backs Jaedon Matthews and Jacob Brown. He will replace senior TE Ryan Wolfer, who is headed to San Diego State to play tight end just one year after switching over from offensive tackle. Hawaii baseball commit Braden Watson should also see a lot of snaps for the Lions, especially while Seagall likely has to sit the first five games. The TE duo will be a piece of the defending Open Champs' offense, which will have a lot of new faces this season.
Fred Parsons
Position: DB
Class: 2025
Previous School: Saguaro
New School: Hamilton
2023 Stats: 47 total tackles, 2 PBUs, INT
The Parsons brothers are going to be big losses for Saguaro. As a rising senior, Parsons should have an immediate impact on a Hamilton defense that needs to improve if they want to be Open contenders again. Parsons has good instincts, make several open-field tackles, and has all the tools that Hamilton needs out of their free safety when he is ready to go in Week 6.
Tyrique Washington
Position: OL
Class: 2026
Previous School: Saguaro
New School: Mountain Pointe
2023 Stats: N/A
Just when Saguaro's offensive line looked like one of the best units with the addition of Phoenix Jenkins, Tyrique Washington departed and enrolled at Mountain Pointe. This is a big loss for Sabercats and the transfers in continue to pile on at Mountain Pointe. The Pride have one of the best Class of 2026 cores in the state in addition to four-star '25 ATH Rylon Dillard-Allen and multiple talented 25's.
Owen Pimbert
Position: LB
Class: 2025
Previous School: Saguaro
New School: Pinnacle
2023 Stats: 106 tackles, 4.5 TFLs, 6 PBUs, 0.5 sacks, 2 QB hurries, INT, FR, FF
Pimbert is probably going to be Saguaro's biggest lost on defense. As a junior, he recorded over 100 tackles, which was second only to senior Trey Morrison. It is going to be interesting to see what Coach Kelly & co. will do with the LB room, especially with Elias Johnson being a shoe-in to play both ways with the departure of Jacob Brown.
As for Pinnacle, Pimbert will now team up with Dean Vincent as the Pioneers' already strong defense will look to get even better as they hope to contend for the Open Division.
Will Mencl
Position: QB
Class: 2027
Previous School: Saguaro
New School: Chandler
2023 Stats: 5/8, 63 yards, TD, INT
He doesn't have his hudl updated from last season, but I've been told that the rising sophomore can sling it. He has a good frame at 6'4 and 195 pounds. Interested to see if he will compete for the starting job at Chandler with Blake Heffron graduating.
Peyton Clemons
Position: OL
Class: 2025
Previous School: Saguaro
New School: Deer Valley
2023 Stats: N/A
Clemens is an absolute unit at 6'3 and 305 pounds. He joins a Deer Valley squad that was leaps and bounds better this past season than they were in 2022. The Skyhawks finished 6-4 after going 0-10 in 2022 largely due to nearly all starters from the 2021 playoff team graduating or transferring. The Skyhawks can certainly post a solid record in 2024, but a region (Maryvale, Alhambra, Washington, Copper Canyon & Estrella Foothills) that will not get them very many power points will make it extremely difficult to make it back to the postseason.
Dominic Kaut
Position: LB/EDGE
Class: 2026
Film: https://www.hudl.com/profile/17750359/Dominic-Kaut?_gl=1*5ln8gv*_ga*MTUwNTUyNDkxNi4xNzExMDYxODU3*_ga_29LPHS2HWC*MTcxMzA2NDU3NS4zLjEuMTcxMzA2NDgzNi4wLjAuMA..
Previous School: Saguaro
New School: Highland
2023 Stats: 1 tackle, 1 QB hurry
Kaut did not get to see many varsity snaps, but from his frosh film you can tell he is quite athletic for his size. I would be surprised to see him playing offensive line at Highland unless they decide to bulk him up. I think that linebacker will be his best-suited position at his current size of 6'0 and 225 pounds. It will be interesting to see how he does in his first full season against varsity competition.
CP Parsons
Position: ATH
Class: 2026
Film: https://www.hudl.com/profile/15865726/Cp-Parsons?_gl=1*1jq82u5*_ga*MTUwNTUyNDkxNi4xNzExMDYxODU3*_ga_29LPHS2HWC*MTcxMzA2NDU3NS4zLjEuMTcxMzA2NDk1NC4wLjAuMA..
Previous School: Saguaro
New School: Hamilton
2023 Stats: N/A
The younger brother of Fred Parsons II, I've been told that "CP" has the potential to be just as good as Fred. He does not have any film posted to his hudl from 2023 and it doesn't appear that he played any varsity snaps as a sophomore. What CP will do as a junior at Hamilton remains to be seen, but given his high praise from teammates and coaches he is definitely a guy to look out for.
Jayln Johnson
Position: ATH
Class: 2026
Film: https://www.hudl.com/profile/17706064/Jayln-Johnson?_gl=1*t5rlos*_ga*MTUwNTUyNDkxNi4xNzExMDYxODU3*_ga_29LPHS2HWC*MTcxMzA2NDU3NS4zLjEuMTcxMzA2NTA4Ni4wLjAuMA..
Previous School: Saguaro
New School: Hamilton
2023 Stats: N/A
Johnson's speed and physicality stick out in his sophomore frosh film from 2023. He primarily played at CB but had a good amount of WR and KR film as well. He didn't see any varsity snaps last year for a Saguaro team that was deep at WR and CB, but I would expect him to see some time at Hamilton in his junior season.
Ty’Vel Calloway
Position: RB/DB
Class: 2026
Previous School: Saguaro
New School: Liberty
2023 Stats: 6 tackles
This kid is explosive. The first five plays on his frosh film from 2023 are all touchdowns. He showed ability to run through players and make defenders miss at the same time. On top of being a dangerous RB, he also ran two kick returns back for touchdowns at the frosh level. He got a few varsity snaps last year, but nothing significant, so am I interested to see if he makes a splash in his junior season.
Jerry Washington
Position: EDGE
Class: 2025
Offers: Army West Point, Air Force, Cornell
Previous School: Independence
New School: Desert Edge
2023 Stats: 93 total tackles, 31.5 TFLs, 8 sacks, 27 QB hurries, 4 PBUs, 5 FFs, 3 FRs, 2 blocked kicks
From his film and stats last year to his MVP performance at the Fiesta Bowl Next Up Combine, Washington has shown that he is a D-I caliber football player. There is no replacing four-star Kansas signee Deshawn Warner, but Washington paired with fellow 25's Ascari Marshall, AJ Burnette, and I'yod Selph is going to be a nightmare quartet for opposing QBs in 2024.
Blake Roskopf
Position: QB
Class: 2027
Film: https://www.hudl.com/profile/18174937/Blake-Roskopf?_gl=1*1skok69*_ga*MTUwNTUyNDkxNi4xNzExMDYxODU3*_ga_29LPHS2HWC*MTcxMzA2NDU3NS4zLjEuMTcxMzA2NzI3MC4wLjAuMA..
Previous School: Liberty
New School: Desert Edge
2023 Stats: N/A
I got to see a lot of Liberty varsity games last season, but I did not get to see their freshman team at all, and I definitely missed out on a show. The Lions rolled through all their opponents except for Centennial and QB Blake Roskopf looked great while they did it. He has a strong arm and solid mobility with an incredible frame at 6'5" and 220 pounds and I expect him to be in competition for the Desert Edge starting job as they look for the next-man up after the relocations of Hezekiah Millender and Tyrell Husband to Georgia. Both 5A finalists will likely have QB competitions as Roskopf and Sherbin-Fox duke it out for the Scorpions and Luke Huago and Gunner Fagrell will be in the mix for Higley.
Phoenix Jenkins
Position: OL
Class: 2027
Previous School: Chaparral
New School: Saguaro
2023 Stats: N/A
This kid is absolutely massive. The 6'6" and 290-pound rising sophomore will get a chance to prove himself against the big boys this fall and I would expect him to quickly get on the radar of college coaches. He's yet another key loss for a Chaparral team that definitely would have had liked to have him as varsity left tackle.
Elijah Sherbin-Fox
Position: QB
Class: 2025
Previous School: Saguaro
New School: Desert Edge
2023 Stats: 8/17, 103 yards, INT, 21 rush, 96 yards, TD
We didn't get to see much of Sherbin-Fox last season, but the rising senior has a good frame at 6'3" and has displayed his athleticism as a dual threat QB. His departure from Saguaro came as no surprise with '26 QB Marcel Jones and '27 QB Will Mencl in the mix for the Sabercats. Mencl also ended up leaving Saguaro after Sherbin-Fox. With the departure of three-star QB Hezekiah Millender, I would expect Sherbin-Fox to be the starter for Desert Edge as soon as he becomes eligible in Week 6.
AJ Burnette
Position: LB/EDGE
Class: 2025
Previous School: Canyon View
New School: Desert Edge
2023 Stats: 2 sacks, 5 TFLs, 32 total tackles, 8 QB hurries
Burnette was a bright spot for a struggling Canyon View defense, mainly setting the edge and getting after the quarterback. His athleticism and versatility allows him to play multiple positions, but he shined the most playing on the edge. Will be interesting to see how the Scorpions use him starting in Week 6.
Claybourne Watkins
Position: DL
Class: 2026
Previous School: Chaparral
New School: Hamilton
2023 Stats: 6.5 sacks, 28 total tackles
Watkins finished a solid sophomore season at Chaparral in a year where the team struggled. He doesn't have much varsity film posted to his hudl, so there's not much to break down. He is yet another domino to fall as the 2022 Chaparral freshman team is pretty much all broken up with most players departing for Saguaro and Mountain Pointe.
Sa'Veon McCrimon
Position: ATH
Class: 2025
Previous School: Westwood
New School: Tempe
2023 Stats: 57 rec, 662 yards, 4 TDs, 42 rush, 261 yards, 14 total tackles, 3 PBUs
In his junior season at Westwood, he was the clear #1 target for two-star QB Giordan Hanks, totaling just over 66 yards a game and four touchdowns while also being the team's third-leading rusher. It will be interesting to see how he is utilized at Tempe, but it seems that he is the most productive at the WR position. Going from playing against 6A competition to one of 3A's stronger regions, the move should result in even bigger production from McCrimon next season. Averaging over 100 scrimmage yards a game is quite likely as he hopes to give the improving Buffaloes a boost towards their playoff hopes just two years after the program combined to go 1-24 from 2020-2022. Coach Freeman has done a tremendous job thus far turning around that program and you're starting to see more and more guys buy in.
Antwoine Poindexter
Position: RB/DB
Class: 2025
Previous School: North
New School: Tempe
2023 Stats: 62 rush, 277 yards, 3 TDs, 11 rec, 60 yards, TD
After leading North in rushing yards last season, Poindexter joins the large group of guys that continually leave Phoenix Union schools as he joins McCrimon and others at Tempe. Poindexter should get a lot more carries this season and it will be interesting to see where he fits in with the Tempe offense and potentially their defense as well. We'll see after spring ball, but Tempe may be a trendy dark horse pick to make the 3A playoffs next season.
Jayden Pico
Position: QB
Class: 2026
BJ Media Film: @Chaparral; vs Perry; vs Tolleson
Previous School: Shadow Ridge
New School: Liberty
2023 Stats: 1,261 passing yards, 8 total TDs (5 rush), 6 INTs, 763 rushing yards
The exodus out of Shadow Ridge continues after a 1-9 season followed by parting ways with the head coach, AD, and principal in November. The school has hired a new principal and AD swiftly but took until January 31st to announce the hire of new head coach Michael Zdeski after previous coach Sean Heagarty was let go in early November. Pico is the fourth Shadow Ridge player to inform me of his transfer on the record, but there is actually a total of 7 Shadow Ridge players that have already transferred: Pico to Liberty, Coronado to Centennial, Callejas to Desert Edge, and Garver and three others to neighboring Canyon View.
The QB battle at Liberty will be interesting to watch. I expect both '26 QB Brady Stevens and '25 QB Hayden Fletcher to battle it out to start the first five games before Pico is eligible and then it will be a three-way battle for the final five regular season games + playoffs.
However, Pico is the only one in the group that comes in with two years of experience as a varsity starter. He had a phenomenal freshman season, winning the 2022 BJ Media Freshman of the Year award over Donivan Dixon of Cactus Shadows (the 2023 Underclassman of the Year) after throwing for over 2,000 yards, 18 TDs, and just 4 interceptions.
After finishing the 2022 season strong and having their undefeated freshman team poised to make several varsity debuts alongside Pico in 2023, Shadow Ridge had a very disappointing season this year. Between injuries and players being underutilized, it was a disastrous 1-9 season. Pico battled through injuries himself and did not put up the same passing numbers he did in 2022, however he did rush for 763 yards (led the team) and 5 TDs despite the team's struggles.
2024 will be a great chance for Pico to start fresh and catch the eye of the college recruiters that constantly keep their eyes on Liberty players.
Asad Ali
Position: WR
Class: 2026
Previous School: Tolleson
New School: Centennial
2023 Stats: 30 rec, 404 yards, 4 TDs
Ali is the second WR to leave Tolleson and it is starting to raise eyebrows as to what is going on over there. Tolleson had one of the best '26 and '27 cores in the state last year that included '27 TE Judah Lancaster, '26 WR Rico Blassingme, '27 QB Kristian Escebedo, '26 WR Hamisi Juma, and Ali. Now both Juma and Ali are gone and there appeared to be a QB controversy as '25 three-star QB Tagg Harrison came in from California and took over the starting job midseason. It will be interesting to see if anyone else leaves Tolleson. Lancaster, Blassingme, and Harrison all have D-I offers and are still at the school.
Ali can break secondaries down in multiple ways. He can beat corners deep, he can catch a bubble screen and break multiple tackles and turn it into a big play, and he's also a master of corner routes. It will be interesting to see how they use him at Centennial in a WR room that has become crowded and includes former Cactus star Nikko Boncore and former Sabino three-star Shamar Berryhill. The transfers arriving for the Coyotes are a great recipe for a dominant season for '26 QB Kainan Manna.
Hassan Smith
Postion: DB/WR
Class: 2027
Previous School: Camelback
New School: Desert Mountain
Smith played both ways at the freshman level for Camelback last season. He heads over to join a loaded Desert Mountain '27 offense that includes wideouts Evan Dowd, Isaiah Justice, and Parker Lavelle, tight ends Conor Olson and Jaden Lindley, and running back Ryan Cratty. With the trio of highly-ranked recruits graduating from Desert Mountain, the Wolves may opt to go with a younger group on varsity this season. It will be interesting to see which '27's will play varsity as sophomores.
Raiden Vines-Bright
Position: WR
Class: 2025
247 Sports Rating: 3-star, #5 player in Florida
Offers: Arizona, Arizona State, & 13 other P4 schools
Previous School: Corona Del Sol
New School: IMG Academy (FL)
2023 Stats: 59 rec, 1,114 yards, 9 TDs
I'm a little late to the party in updating this story as somehow 247 Sports somehow updated Vines-Bright's ranking to Florida before I wrote this portion of the story. All jokes aside, RVB was the second-highest rated WR in the AZ Class of 2025 behind 4-star Cooper Perry. He is the cherry on top for the exodus out of Corona Del Sol after their frustrating 2023 campaign.
Unlike some other schools dealing with several transfers out, Vines-Bright thanked Coach Barro for his dedication to himself and the program in his statement that he tweeted out after the news of his transfer broke. This is the second straight year that a top Arizona prospect left for IMG Academy with '25 QB Jamar Malone and '25 LB Kamarion Peete making to the move to Bradenton, FL last year. Neither player is still at the academy.
Jai Jones
Position: WR/DB
Class: 2027
Offers: NAU, Arizona State, Arizona
Previous School: Corona Del Sol
New School: Chandler
2023 Stats (11 games): 35 rec, 305 yards, TD
The news of Jones' transfer was supposed to stay quiet, but this tweet above let the cat out of the bag on Jan. 10 before Westside Sports Arizona tweeted out the news the following day. The freshman phenom that already holds three D-I offers after playing a full varsity season as a freshman will have an immediate impact on the young Chandler WR core after the departures of three-stars Justice Spann and Jaxon Branch. After a frustration 2023 campaign for Corona Del Sol, a good chunk of their freshman core has departed for other East Valley schools.
Drew Coronado
Position: OL
Class: 2026
Previous School: Shadow Ridge
New School: Centennial
With the departures of the athletic director and HC Sean Hegarty, Coronado is now the third Shadow Ridge player to publicly acknowledge his plans to transfer, which his mother did in an Instagram post on Jan. 11. After being a part of the undefeated freshman team in 2022, it was a strange sophomore varsity season for Coronado. He did not get to see the field much and instead of putting him on JV to develop alongside fellow sophomore OL peers Cam Zaske and Rocco Riesland, the team elected to keep him on varsity the entire season despite him only primarily playing on special teams.
Coronado heads to West Valley powerhouse Centennial, where he will be a part of arguably the state's best team and an OL unit that returns center Camren Durfee among others and is also bringing in Cactus transfer Jesus Diaz. It will be interesting to see how much action he gets after becoming eligible Week 6.
Hamisi Juma
Position: WR/FS
Class: 2026
Offers: NAU, Arizona State, UNLV
Previous School: Tolleson
New School: Chandler
2023 Stats (5 games): 8 rec, 59 yards, 2 TDs, 38 total tackles, 2 TFLs, INT, PBU, 6 FR, FF
If the Westside Sports Arizona report is accurate, Juma will be transferring for the second time in 2 years, meaning that he will have to sit his entire junior season in 2024 and will become eligible for Chandler for his senior season in 2025. The '26 WR/FS is one of the most coveted prospects in the state for his class and holds three D-I offers already.
In the event that he wins an appeal to become eligible for Chandler in 2024, then he will be a crucial pickup for the Wolves' WR core that graduated Eastern Washington signee Jaxon Branch and three-star Justice Spann and the Wolves' secondary that graduates Utah signee Sammie Hunter, Notre Dame signee Kennedy Urlacher, three-star Niko Clark, and Jojo Taylor III.
Cale Garver
Position: OL
Class: 2027
BJ Media Film: vs Apollo; @ Boulder Creek; @ Mountain Ridge
Previous School: Shadow Ridge
New School: Canyon View
Garver got the opportunity to play every single position on the offensive line during his freshman season at Shadow Ridge and had his most success at right tackle, especially during the second half of the season. With Shadow Ridge switching athletic directors and head coaches, Garver is the second Stallion to publicly acknowledge his departure from the school.
He has headed 6 miles south to Canyon View, where he already has began attending classes this week. He played youth ball with several Canyon View players and will join a Jaguars 2027 class that went 8-1 at the freshman level this season with their lone loss to Liberty. I'm not quite sure what Canyon View's varsity offensive line is looking like next season, but I would imagine that Garver may opt to play JV and avoid sitting 5 games if he is not going to be a clear-cut starter on varsity.
Michael Callejas
Position: WR
Class: 2026
Previous School: Shadow Ridge
New School: Desert Edge
2023 Stats: 15 rec, 225 yards, TD
After a promising freshman year at Shadow Ridge, where the '26 Stallions squad went a perfect 9-0 in the 2022 season, it was a disappointing season in 2023 for Callejas and several other Shadow Ridge sophomores. He was very underutilized, as was fellow sophomore WR Mikey Cruz, and the Stallions' offense struggled to score all season en route to a 1-9 campaign that finished with nine consecutive losses. After the season, HC Sean Heagarty was let go, along with the school's athletic director. Callejas is the only Shadow Ridge sophomore that has gone public with his transferring decision as of Jan. 9, but don't be surprised if we hear from others in the near future.
With Desert Edge graduating receivers Kez Dia-Johnson, Jaqua Anderson, and Johnny Arvallo, Callejas is a big addition to pair with '25 WR David Cabrera and '27 WR Zerek Sidney, who already saw a good amount of varsity snaps as a freshman this season. After sitting the first five games, expect a big junior campaign from Callejas.
Camar Lee
Position: QB
Class: 2026
Previous School: Sierra Linda
New School: Mountain Pointe
2023 Stats: 111/225, 1,421 yards, 11 TDs, 10 INTs, 177 rushing yards, 3 TDs
In 10 starts last season '25 Maricopa transfer QB Robert Knorr threw for just over 1,000 yards with a 57% completion percentage, 11 total TDs (2 rush), and 9 interceptions.
With Camar Lee coming in from Sierra Linda now, it is no guarantee that Knorr will keep his starting job once Lee becomes eligible and this will be an interesting QB battle to watch unfold this spring and summer.
Lee, along with Dominic Kramer of Peoria, Jayden Pico of Shadow Ridge, Donivan Dixon of Cactus Shadows, and a few other '26 QBs, started since his freshman season at Sierra Linda. In his second year as the starter, he completed 49.3% of his passes for 1,421 yards, 11 TDs, and 10 interceptions while rushing for 177 yards and 3 more TDs. With HC Ty Preyer stepping down after the season, it comes as no surprise that Lee decided to make a move.
We will get a good look at the 27 transfers that Mountain Pointe received last year, primarily in the '26 class, and it will be interesting to see what Lee can do after sitting 5 games with more talent around him with the Pride.
Julian Moncivaiz
Position: WR
Class: 2026
Previous School: Desert Edge
New School: Cactus
2023 Stats: 23 rec, 290 yards, 2 TDs
This is a move that really surprised me. Even with Michael Callejas coming in, Moncivaiz was expected to be a starter opposite of '27 WR Zerek Sidney.
However, the move to Cactus should pretty much wrap up and huge overhaul in the WR room for the Cobras. Star '25 WR Nikko Boncore along with '26 WR Jahvon Clemens and '24 WR Jordan Davis are all gone, but '25 WR Juju Stubblefield returns and will be joined by Moncivaiz and former Peoria '26 WR David Rojas as the top three targets for returning QB Antonio Casaias. There may be some depth concerns at WR for the first five games, but the Cobras' WR core should be a force to be reckoned with for the final five games and playoffs.
Rylan Reyes
Position: QB
Class: 2026
Previous School: Highland
New School: ALA Queen Creek
Peter Clark of 5Star Sports first broke the news. Reyes is a big addition for the Patriots as BYU QB commit Enoch Watson graduates and will either head to his mission or head to Provo in the fall. Reyes' departure from Highland does not surprise me at all, and I was actually surprised that he didn't make the move last offseason as '25 QB Kalen Fisher was widely considered to be the Hawks' starting QB for 2023 and 2024 after leading them to a 6A state title in 2022 as a sophomore.
Reyes should be able to make an immediate impact for the Patriots as they try to make a fourth consecutive Open Division playoff appearance. He should finally get his chance to prove himself as one of the best QBs in the Arizona Class of 2026.
Isaiah Robertson
Position: DT
Class: 2025
Previous School: Sabino
New School: Centennial
2023 Stats: 44 total tackles, 2 fumble forces, 2 fumble recoveries
Robertson marks the third Sabino player to leave the 3A Champions this offseason. Wherever Robertson lands, he will be an important piece on a contender. It is unclear whether he is heading up to the valley or transferring to another Tucson power such as Mica Mountain, Canyon Del Oro, or Salpointe Catholic, at this time. I will add more analysis on this move once I found out where he is landing.
UPDATE: Robertson will be moving up to the valley and taking his talents to Centennial, becoming the third Sabino player to join the Coyotes this offseason. This is his second transfer, so he will have to win an appeal with the AIA to become eligible this season.
Mason Penrod
Postion: QB
Class: 2027
Previous School: Camelback
New School: Cesar Chavez
In his freshman season at Camelback, Penrod took a fair share of varsity snaps for the Spartans and displayed his ability to make throws downfield and make plays with his legs. New Chavez HC Chandler Hovik will look to recreate the success he had with Cam Allen at Central this past season.
Coen Johnson
Position: ATH
Class: 2026
Previous School: Ironwood
New School: Sunrise Mountain
2023 Stats (3 games): 20 tackles, 4 TFLs, 2 PBUs
With his family moving houses, Johnson is staying in PUSD at Sunrise Mountain. In limited varsity action last season, the defensive utility player showed impressive playmaking in both the passing and running game and gave us a sample size of what is to come.
Cam Allen
Position: QB
Class: 2027
Previous School: Central
New School: Chaparral
2023 Stats: 112/178, 2,121 yards, 28 TDs, 3 INTs
After an 8-2 season that somehow did not translate into a playoff appearance for Central, HC Chandler Hovik made the move over to his alma mater Cesar Chavez and QB Cam Allen has left PXU for the suburbs and will take his talents to Chaparral HS in Scottsdale.
The 2023 BJ Media Freshman of the Year is a crucial pickup for the Firebirds with '26 QB Marcel Jones leaving for Saguaro midseason and QB Luciano Madda graduating. While '26 WR Tristan Armstrong is on his way out, Allen will look to build on the success of the pair of '25 WRs Hunter Wohland and Gavin Mesa had this season.
Tristan Armstrong
Position: WR
Class: 2026
Offers: UNLV
Previous School: Chaparral
New School: Saguaro
2023 Stats: 18 rec, 246 yards, 4 TDs
Tristan was part of the undefeated freshman team at Chaparral in 2022 that went 9-0 with an average margin of victory of over 32 points. But with head coach Brent Barnes' departure to his home state of Oklahoma, about half of the '26 Firebirds split up last offseason with a good chunk of them heading to Mountain Pointe.
In early 2023, Tristan terrorized the freshman 7on7 circuit with D1 5-star, winning multiple tournament MVPs across the country and helping his squad win several team tournament titles.
Chaparral's offense struggled mightily this season and Tristan's stats fell victim to that. To put into perspective how hard the Firebird offense fell off after the departure of Barnes: ASU commit Plas Johnson led 6A in receiving yards in 2022 but was third on his own team in 2023. Having one of the state's toughest schedules certainly didn't help, but only averaging 222 passing YPG with all of the weapons that team had was disappointing.
Tristan is one of the state's best route runners and the addition of him and Marcel Jones, who transferred over in late September, will be huge for a Saguaro program that graduated a lot of key players and have at least one player transferring.
David Rojas
Position: WR
Class: 2026
Previous School: Peoria
New School: Cactus
2023 Stats: 55 rec, 606 yards, 6 TDs
Peoria had a very young core this season with their Rojas, their QB1, their RB1, and their WR3 all being underclassmen. I had previously said that they had potential to be 4A title contenders within the next two years if everybody stayed together. With Rojas leaving for Cactus, that changes everything.
There's no replacing Nikko Boncore, but Rojas is a great add for Cactus as they try to build their offense around him, fellow WR Juju Stubblefield, and QB Antonio Casaias.
Jesus Diaz III
Position: OL
Class: 2026
Previous School: Cactus
New School: Centennial
Not too long after Cactus '25 WR Nikko Boncore announced his move to Centennial, Diaz announced on twitter that he was joining the Open Division runners-up because he "just needed a change." The 6'4", 285 pound lineman was selected to the 5A Desert West Region first team in his sophomore year at Cactus and is yet another key addition for the Coyotes.
When he becomes eligible, expect the Centennial offensive line to get even better than it will be in the first five games. Diaz III is the fourth publicly announced player to join the Coyotes via transfer.
Nikko Boncore
Position: WR/DB
Class: 2025
Offers: Iowa State
Previous School: Cactus
New School: Centennial
2023 Stats (11 games): 92 rec, 1,214 rec yards, 19 total TDs (2 rush, 2 pass)
So far, Nikko is the biggest name to hit the Valley of the Sun’s transfer portal. After a stellar junior season at Cactus that only became more dominant when Ironwood transfer Juju Stubblefield become eligible, the Boncore family decided that moving on was the best option after the Cobras’ disappointing end to the season with a loss to #13 Campo Verde in the 5A Round of 16.
Boncore finished 2nd in the WR of the Year race, just 2 points behind Arizona signee and ALA Gilbert North senior Brandon Phelps. Centennial’s top three leading receivers in 2023 (Noah Carter, Kenny Worthy, and Ricky Muñoz) all were seniors, so Boncore and another new weapon from Pima County (I will mention later in the story) will be the leading targets for ‘26 gunslinger Kainan Manna.
Shamar Berryhill
Position: WR/DB
Class: 2025
Offers: Arizona
247Sports Rating: 3-star, #16 player in AZ
Previous School: Sabino
New School: Centennial
2023 Stats (14 games): 75 rec, 1,392 rec yards, 19 TDs
Shamar is the younger brother of Stanley Berryhill III, who played at Arizona before playing one season in the NFL with the Lions and then the practice squads of the Cardinals and Falcons before joining the XFL’s Houston Roughnecks. Shamar was the clear WR1 for star QB Cameron Hackworth and went for nearly 1,400 yards and 19 TDs in 14 games to help lead Sabino to a 3A state title.
Oftentimes, media members and coaches have conversations about 2A, 3A, & 4A players that are “6A-level” players. Shamar is just that and will have a great opportunity to dominate 6A defenses alongside fellow transfer Nikko Boncore and incumbent ‘26 QB Kainan Manna. With Sabino and Centennial High School being 150 miles apart, Shamar should have a pretty good case for immediate eligibility and avoiding having to sit 5 games for the reigning Open Division Runners Up.
Romeo Berryhill
Position: DB
Class: 2027
Offers: None made public
Previous School: Sabino
New School: Centennial
2023 Stats (13 games): 31 tackles, INT, FR, FF
Romeo is the younger brother of Shamar and primarily played DB during his freshman season on varsity at 3A champion Sabino. His hudl is not completely up to date and I haven't gotten to see him play in person, but I've been told by folks in the 520 that this kid is the real deal just like his brother and will be an integral piece of the future for Centennial.
Keegan Pederson
Position: WR/DB
Class: 2027
Film: None
Offers: None
Previous School: Corona Del Sol
New School: Higley
Corona Del Sol had a lot of talent come in with their 2027 class, but with multiple of those guys playing varsity and the remaining guys not meshing well, it was a disappointing 2023 campaign at both the freshman and varsity levels.
The frustration was enough for Keegan to decide to make the move to Higley. The Knights have a very crowded WR room, however most of those guys will be seniors next season.
From what I saw during last year’s 7on7 circuit and his training sessions with former ASU star and NFL wideout Jaelen Strong, Keegan makes up for his current lack of size with speed and crisp route-running. Several trainees of Strong got significantly better and landed D-I offers, most notably Tolleson’s Rico Blassingme. With more offseason work with Strong, don’t be surprised to see a breakout season from Keegan next fall.
What is going on at Saguaro?
After a quiet week on social media following the announcement of Berryhill and Boncore to Centennial, a disturbing email sent by Saguaro principal Ann Achtziger to AD Matthew Harris, head coach Zak Hill, and others was leaked to Twitter:
The situation seems very similar to the one at Hamilton back in 2020, when an assistant coach allegedly used the n word while mimicking a rap song during weight lifting. That incident led to several players, including Oregon CB Cole Martin, transferring to Basha and helping lead them to the 2022 Open Division title in their senior seasons.
Joseph Clark III, father of three-star Saguaro senior Jojo Clark IV, added the following tweet to the same thread:
Achtziger later issued a public statement to all of the Saguaro football families:
Shortly after the racial slur controversy, HC Zak Hill left the school to become the next athletic director at ALA Gilbert North after just one season with the team. Later that week, he pulled out of the AD role at ALA to become an offensive analyst for the Seattle Seahawks.
WRs coach Julio Cisneros later left the school for Liberty and assistant Coach Nick Offenberger left to take the head coaching job with Heritage Academy Laveen. Both coaches were crucial in building relationships with youth feeder program Future U, which often times is the top-ranked youth program in the state across multiple age groups.
UPDATE: Four additional Saguaro assistants have departed the program for Brophy Prep.
With all of the changes, OL Tyrique Washington has elected to transfer to Mountain Pointe and sources within the program have informed me anonymously that there will be other players leaving the defending 6A champs. That news will become public sooner rather than later.
UPDATE: Jacob Brown, Kam Seagall, Peyton Clemens, Dominic Kraut, Fred Parsons, CP Parsons, Jayln Johnson, Owen Pimbert, Will Mencl, & Ty'Vel Calloway have all departed Saguaro since Washington's exit.
Zeth Angel Thues
Position: DB
Class: 2026
Offers: Arizona State, UNLV, Nevada, Wisconsin, Boston College, Kansas State
Previous School: Saguaro
New School: Liberty
2023 Stats (14 games): 78 tackles, 5.5 TFLs, 2 INTs, 2 blocked kicks, sack
When 247 Sports updates their 2026 recruiting rankings, Zeth will be towards the top of the state rankings and will likely land an initial three-star rating. He is arguably the most talented ‘26 DB in the state and both the offers and film back that up. In his second season as a starter, the sophomore recorded 78 tackles and 5.5 TFLs while primarily playing strong safety to help lead Saguaro to a 6A state title.
My prediction on where Zeth will land is Liberty. Centennial and Desert Edge would not surprise me either. However, Zeth played on the AZ Dolphins freshman team during last year’s 7on7 circuit and played alongside and befriended several Liberty ‘26 players. Zeth alongside fellow safety Cannon Garday, who started as a sophomore for the 2023 Open Division champs, would be an incredible duo in the secondary to match up with Centennial’s new pair of wideouts. During his tweet announcing the move, he didn’t name his new school but did say he was going back to the Westside “closer to home.”
UPDATE (1/12/24): Zeth has enrolled at Liberty High School.
Unannounced Moves
Because I am not a reporter, every private conversation I have is off the record unless I indicate otherwise. Therefore, I will not be leaking any names of players that I have been told are transferring and will wait until they make a public announcement themselves or change their twitter bios before adding them to this article. Here is the summary of players that I have personally been told are on the move or considering transferring:
Three Shadow Ridge players headed to Canyon View
'25 ATH rumored to be headed to Hamilton
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