West Spotlight: Prospects that emerged during camp season
It's no exaggeration to say that prospects across the country have had the course of their lives changed thanks to a strong showing during camp season. Let’s take a look at five such prospects in the West that saw their stock rise dramatically in June.
THIS SERIES: Five Midwest prospects that emerged during camp season | Southeast | Mid-South | Florida
*****
CLASS OF 2025 RANKINGS: Rivals250 | Team | Position | State
CLASS OF 2026 RANKINGS: Rivals250 | Team | Position | State
TRANSFER PORTAL: Full coverage | Player ranking | Team ranking | Transfer search | Transfer Tracker
*****
The Santa Ana (Calif.) Mater Dei offense is so loaded with elite players but Bowman will not go unnoticed. He’ll actually be in the running for the top spot in the 2027 tight end rankings after he wowed during spring practice and then looked good at the OT7 finals among many other events this summer.
Bowman is already all of 6-foot-5 and 220 pounds, has speed and toughness, can catch the ball in a crowd and has shown on numerous occasions that he can take over a game if the football comes his way. If someone told me that Bowman was a 2025 tight end, I wouldn’t be surprised at all and he would be up toward the top of the rankings in this class.
Texas, USC, Georgia, Alabama and others are all involved already before Bowman starts his sophomore season as he will clearly be one of the top tight end prospects in his class.
*****
On his X profile, Briggs lists his positions as quarterback, tight end, wide receiver, defensive back, strong safety, kick returner and punt returner. That’s fair since the 2026 tight end from Visalia (Calif.) Mount Whitney basically does it all on the football field and his recruitment took off in June as college coaches trekked to Central California.
Briggs is a 6-foot-6, 200-pound prospect so he’s definitely pretty but he’s also a playmaker especially on offense where he lines up as a receiver but probably projects as a fast, versatile tight end in college.
Cal, Florida, Florida State, Kentucky, Texas A&M, UCF and others are involved early on.
*****
In late May, Edmunds had five offers. By the end of June he was closer to 20 with some of the biggest programs coming after the 2027 quarterback from Huntington Beach, Calif.
Edmunds is a pocket passer at 6-foot-5 and 200 pounds, and he’s phenomenal there with an easy delivery, placement all over the field and definitely an advanced feel for the position as someone who’s just entering their sophomore season.
Ohio State is definitely an early school to watch as he has a relationship with new offensive coordinator Chip Kelly and loved his visit there but Notre Dame, Penn State and some SEC programs are also very involved.
*****
The word from Utah’s summer camps is that Kaufusi was by far the best and most dominant prospect there regardless of position and clearly the top dog along the defensive line where he’s following a family legacy with the Utes as he committed there in June.
At 6-foot-6 and 265 pounds, the Salt Lake City (Utah) Skyline prospect and Utah pledge has all the size, athleticism and power to shine in the Utes’ defensive front and for a group known for dominating by physical will, Kaufusi should fit in perfectly.
Because he committed this summer and he’s a Utah lock, many other programs have moved on but his ranking is about to go up.
SHARE YOUR THOUGHTS WITH UTAH FANS AT UTENATION.COM
*****
The 2026 tight end from Honolulu (Hawaii) Kamehameha does not play a traditional tight end role; he usually comes out of the backfield in an H-back situation in the passing game but it’s clear he has phenomenal skills.
What stands out most about Purcell is that he has awesome hands, catches every ball thrown his way even when it’s thrown behind him and then he has speed once he gets into his route.
June was a huge month for the 2026 prospect as Tennessee, Nebraska and a bunch of other programs got involved and as more coaches see him, the more they’ll get interested.
