Despite standing 6-foot-4, weighing 240 pounds and recording 12.5 sacks in nine games last season, senior edge rusher Jacob Vann wasn't being heavily recruited by colleges until earlier this spring.
The Xavier Prep senior caught the attention of a Coachella Valley local recruiting coach and took him to a camp to put him in front of major college coaches. After beating a highly-recruited lineman in a head-to-head drill several times, the offers started coming.
Vann has since committed to play next year for Fresno State University. Because of his accomplishments last season and the potential for a monster senior year, Vann checks in at No. 2 on The Desert Sun's 2026 Elite 11 countdown.
Vann will return this season as one of several important seniors
on a Saints team that has the talent to be very good. He's the top-ranked player who plays primarily on defense on this year's Elite 11.
The question surrounding Vann is whether he'll really go all-out, having already secured scholarship offers and the fact that he's graduating in December so that he can enroll at Fresno State in January. Will his focus be on college or on dominating during his final season of high school football?
That will be the main storyline to follow as it relates to the latest Division I recruit to emerge from the valley.
Andrew John covers sports and recreation in the Coachella Valley for The Desert Sun. Email him at andrew.john@desertsun.com. Find him on Instagram at @desertwriter.
This article originally appeared on Palm Springs Desert Sun: Sack-happy Saints defensive star is No. 2 on the 2026 Elite 11
