Promising Signs: Top recruits from the Central Valley

With the NCAA's national signing day a week away, some of the area's top high school players are still deciding where they'll play college football.

Valley Sports Xtra, The Bee's partner in producing the High School Football Game of the Week, has created a series of video profiles on some top recruits, leading with Merced High's Stephon Mathis.

The "Top Recruits: Central Valley" videos are hosted by J.J. Stokes, the former San Francisco 49ers receiver. Each profile features interviews with the players, their coaches and video highlights from their high school careers.

Mathis rushed for 1,947 yards and scored 26 touchdowns in 2008, leading the Bears to the semifinals of the section playoffs. Other players featured are Central Catholic receiver James Orth and Central Valley quarterback Trevor Mew, plus five players on the state title team from Grant High in Sacramento.

The videos can be found at www.modbee.com/videos and at www.valleysportsxtra.com, a Web site developed in partnership between The Bee and the Modesto video production company Final Cut Media.