Normally it's hard to get too worked up about verbal commitments from high school kids when signing day is 4 months away, but...hey, what the heck? When you get two super awesome verbals in one weekend it's pretty fun.
Who are these prodigal athletes with obvious good taste in football programs?
1. Mana Rosa, DE. 6'3" 250lbs. 39 inch vertical--whoa!!!
You've heard of Mana from Heaven, well this is Mana from Baldwin High School. He looks like a slightly less predatory & bloodlusting Bill Swancutt to me. As physically ready as he appears to be, there is a slight chance that he could play immediately, but we always want everyone to redshirt, of course.
Mana is also a good student, and is likely to have already academically qualified.
Check out his youtube highlights...
Like many incredible defensive ends, Mana Rosa is even better when you don't block him to catchy music on youtube! (via m711jhk)
2. Zeke Sanders, S. 6'2" 187-200?? lbs. 11.05a 100m as a junior--blazin'!!!
Zeke is from Santa Cruz and was named the San Francisco 49ers High School Player of the Week at the beginning of this month, which means that he got tickets to a game and also a signed certificate from recently fired Head Coach Mike Nolan. So that's pretty cool. He sounds like a very versatile athlete, playing running back, safety and kick returner for his high school team.
Sanders scored all his team's touchdowns for the second straight week, and the Cardinals held on to beat a short-handed, but talented, Alvarez team 30-20 in non-league play Saturday.
"We have a lot of weapons, such potential," said Sanders, one of a handful of returning starters for the defending Central Coast Section Small School champion Cardinals. "We could do so much more than this. I love to score and be the guy, but I can't be the only one scoring. It's good for me, but not good for the team."
The Cardinals [1-3 overall] need to have more options to move the ball if they have any chance of knocking off defending Santa Cruz Coast Athletic League co-champion Scotts Valley [3-1] next week in the teams' league opener.
Sanders finished with four touchdowns Saturday -- three of them rushing and one on an 80-yard kickoff return -- giving him seven of his team's nine touchdowns this season.
(opposing coach) Rawles was well aware of Zeke Sanders, who was also a state meet-qualifying sprinter during track season. And that didn't matter, he said.
"You can simulate No. 32 as much as you want, but it's not going to happen," he said. "We don't have a guy who runs a 10.7-[second] 100-[yard dash]. They do."
Zeke is also a good student and looks forward to wearing black.
It sounds like both men know how to make good decisions and look forward to playing on the Pac-10's most doom-inant defensive unit.
Welcome to the Glorious Orange Revolution, Comrades Zeke and Mana!