Eric Sorenson
Arizona is filled with big things.
The Grand Canyon.
The Saguaro cactus.
Summer temperatures in the Valley and southern areas of the state.
Heck, even the world’s largest cow skull can be found just outside Tucson.
However, one thing you won’t find with regularity within our 7.5 million State 48 community are big offensive and defensive high school linemen.
Sure, you can throw a rock pretty much anywhere here in the greater Phoenix area and hit a D-I quarterback, corner, or safety, but Arizona’s bigs continue to be, on a national scale, on the smaller side.
Brophy’s Logan Powell, the top offensive lineman in the 2025 class, is listed at 6’4, 280 pounds. Tucson Salpointe Catholic offensive tackle Roman Fina is 6’5, 250. BCP center Anderson Kopp is 6’3, 275. The state’s top-ranked defensive lineman, Mountain Pointe’s Kaleb Jones, is 6’1, 275.
Every one of these players are headed off to play high-level Power 4 football, but their height and weight dwarfs in comparison to bigger, bulkier national prospects we see from other states on a consistent basis.
Case in point, Missouri’s teenage monster, Jackson Cantwell.
The nation’s No. 1 recruit in the 2026 class, Jackson Cantwell, a 16-year-old 6-7, 325-pound offensive tackle, has committed to Miami over Oregon, Ohio State and UGA. He is the son of 2008 U.S. Olympic silver medalist shot thrower Christian Cantwell.
— Bruce Feldman (@BruceFeldmanCFB) May 13, 2025
“Zone Read” reached out to a number of highly-respected coaches here in the Valley to try to solve this Rubik’s Cube of why our “bigs” are somewhat “small.”
It’s a Numbers Game
“Offensive and defensive linemen are hard to find in general,” Brophy Head Coach Jason Jewell said. “They are the two most heavily recruited positions, and for good reason, games are won and lost in the trenches.
“There are a lack of big kids in football and finding them comes at a premium.”
Recently, Jewell has been one of the “lucky ones.” BCP’s entire starting offensive line will play in college, highlighted by Powell (Wisconsin), Kopp (Kansas), and the biggest of the group, 6’6, 280-pound converted basketball player, Jorden Cunningham (Washington State).
All 5 Brophy Prep offensive linemen and tight end signed to play college football.
Jorden Cunningham (Washington State), Christian Parenza (Lake Forest), Anderson Kopp (Kansas), Brayden Michael (Black Hills State), Logan Powell (Wisconsin), Nasim Isaac (Northern Arizona). pic.twitter.com/rQtr7f4eyC
— Richard Obert (@azc_obert) February 5, 2025
“People come to Arizona for skill and speed,” Jewell continued. “The Midwest and deep south seem to have more linemen.
“I had a [college] recently come in and tell me, ‘I have big farm kids in our backyard. I’m here looking for speed.’”
Climate Control
In many ways, we’re lucky.
On average, the sun shines here in Phoenix around 300 days a year.
For prep athletes, the calendar holds no climate limitations.
Like it hot? Try our summers.
Like it mild? Try our falls.
Like it cold? Move to the Midwest.
“We live in a state where fitness is big,” long-time Hamilton offensive line coach Mark Tucker noted. “Gyms are packed. People are making efforts to stay in shape. [I’m] not sure what our obesity level is but big people generally produce other big people.
“Our state works out,” he continued. “Hikes. Rides bikes. They aren’t doing that in the Midwest or down south.”
Tucker also believes the sprawl, at least in some areas, is slowing – which cycles back to the numbers game.
“We also have to realize that while we have growth, we are also landlocked as many areas are built out,” he noted. “Liberty and the west side of town has basically experienced what Hamilton was when I first started – a new area with plenty of growth and housing [potential].”
Let’s Play Two (or Three)
With our favorable weather, comes equal sports opportunity.
Multi-sport athletes in Arizona are a thing, as they should be.
“I would say that the reason why Arizona doesn’t produce massive offensive and defensive line high-level prospects is primarily due to the diverse sports culture that exists in our state,” Brophy veteran offensive line coach Mark Martinez said. “Rarely does an athlete commit to only a single sport like football. The time between one sport’s season and the next often overlaps, especially if the athlete qualifies for postseason play.
“As a result, you’ve got kids go from football in the fall to basketball in the winter, and baseball in the spring. That’s just the nature of these athletes.”
Martinez noted the physique of a truly college-ready lineman doesn’t typically fit the mold of the sport, or sports, they play.
Thus, some are left at a crossroads: continue to play multiple sports, or train year-round for football with off-season focus of adding strength and power to their physique.
Not an easy decision for players, or their parents – especially if the carrot of a scholarship is genuinely attainable.
Thanks, but no Thanks
It’s not uncommon to walk a high school campus and see several bigger kids who, for one reason or another, don’t play football.
Maybe it’s the expectations or pressures attached from simply their size.
Maybe it simply comes down to motivation and self-confidence.
Maybe their hesitation comes from home.
“I see a lot of kids not playing football at all as [their] parents don’t want them to get hurt or sustain a head injury,” Basha defensive line coach Derek Kennard said. “I see big kids around campus all the time and ask them if they play football. They say, ‘no.’”
Kennard also feels social size acceptance is part of the equation.
“I don’t believe Arizona has fully embraced and empowered the importance and appreciation of the ‘Bigs Hogs and Dawgs,’ as the majority of the southern and Midwest states have.
“In those places it’s praised. They are supported and glorified.”
Mean, but Lean
Pinnacle offensive line coach Paul Germinaro has been coaching in the Valley for a quarter of a century.
He’s witnessed the state’s recruiting explosion, as well as the social pressures high schoolers frequently experience.
Unfortunately, now more than ever, image is everything.
“I think there’s something where I’ve always coached, that the kids love playing the lines, but they don’t want to get too heavy,” he explained. “Socially, these will always be high school kids with high school problems. They do want to look fit and feel good.
“They lift hard, work hard, and practice hard to be great, but you’ve got to carry some extra weight to play the line of scrimmage.
“But it’s tough to want to lift to look like Dolph Lundgren, but play like Penei Sewell.”
