Signing Day 2020 is upon us. Each year on the first Wednesday of February, high school players can sign their letter of intent and make it official which school they will attend.

As always Southern California is loaded with top high school prospects.

Here is a list of some names that you will be seeing a lot of in the next few years at the collegiate level on the defensive side of the ball, headlined by five-star Upland linebacker Justin Flowe.

Defensive End

Headliner: Tuli Tuipulotu, Lawndale High School

Tuipulotu is the top defensive end in California. The Lawndale defensive lineman led the Cardinals to a state championship as a junior and had a strong senior season leading the defensive line.

The 6’3 245 pound three-star strong side defensive end is a physical presence on the outside. Tuipulotu has speed to rush the quarterback and size to play the run and hold the edge.

He also has a frame to be developed in a college weight room. Tuipulotu made news on the first day of the early signing period when he committed and signed with the Trojans joining his older brother Marlon on the d-line at USC.

Defensive Tackle

Headliner: Kobe Pepe, St. John Bosco High School

The first of three St. John Bosco Braves in this article is the leader of their defensive line, Pepe. He is the top ranked defensive tackle in Southern California.

The 6’3 270 pound three-star defensive tackle had a big senior season with 80 tackles, 12.5 tackles for loss, and 11 sacks.

Pepe was a force on the defensive line controlling the inside. He showed the ability to play the run, shed blocks, and be a presence in the backfield with tackles for loss and sacks. Pepe has signed with USC.

Outside Linebacker

Headliner: Kourt Williams, St. John Bosco High School

Williams is the top outside linebacker in California. The four-star defensive player is ranked seventh best at his position in the country and 89th overall in the nation.

Williams was one of the defensive leaders on the Braves’ state championship team that was the best team in California in 2019. He is a versatile linebacker that is athletic enough to play outside linebacker and safety.

Williams can really run and hit, making tackles in run support and in pass coverage. The 6’0 215 pound outside linebacker had 61 tackles and a sack for the Braves. Williams has signed with Ohio State.

Inside Linebacker

Headliner: Justin Flowe, Upland High School

Flowe is the top linebacker in the country. The 6’3 25 pound four-star linebacker from Upland is ranked as the 8th ranked player in the country and top at his position in the nation.

He is regarded as the best linebacker from Southern California and the Inland Empire since Corona Centennial’s Vontaze Burfict in 2009, who finished ranked ninth in the nation.

Flowe is a punishing linebacker that excels in run support with physical hits. He is also athletic and can play the pass covering running backs and tight ends.

He had 123 tackles, 18 tackles for loss, 10 sacks, an interception, and five rushing touchdowns on offense. Flowe has signed with Oregon.

Cornerback

Headliner: Clark Phillips, La Habra High School

Phillips is the top defensive back in California. The four-star cornerback is ranked 67th overall in the country and 7th best at his position in the nation. Phillips burst onto the scene as a sophomore with a seven interception season.

He has elite cover skills and the ability to make plays on the ball. The 5’10 175 pound cornerback is also physical in run support. He excelled playing man to man coverage often shutting down a side of the field for the Highlander defense.

He had 28 tackles and four interceptions as a senior with seven pass deflections. He also had 10 receiving touchdowns on offense.

Phillips made news when he signed with Utah on the second day of the early signing period. He was previously committed to Ohio State and their secondary coach Jeff Haftly, but Haftly left to be the head coach at Boston College.

Safety

Headliner: Jonathan Vaughns, St. John Bosco High School

The top safety in California is the four-star UCLA commit Vaughns. The 6’2 185 pound defensive back is ranked as the 21st best at his position in the nation.

Vaughns had a strong senior season starting at safety for the Braves. He is an athlete with two-sport college ability with his baseball skills. He is a physical safety that can play in the box and tackle and can cover both wide receivers and tight ends.

He had 64 tackles and an interception as a senior.

The USC/UCLA game will be a fun day for the Vaughns family as older brother and USC standout wide receiver Tyler recently announced he is coming back for his senior season so the brothers will be on opposite sidelines in the fall.

Athlete

Headliner: Jaden Navarrette, Norco High School

Navarrette is the top ranked athlete in Southern California. The four-star shined playing both ways for Norco.

Navarrette is 6’3 235 pounds and will play linebacker in college. He is an athletic outside linebacker that can cover and rush the quarterback.

He had 565 receiving yards, seven touchdowns, 16 tackles, and 1.5 sacks in his senior season, where he missed two games.

Navarrette committed to LSU in April and two-weeks later flipped to Oregon, where he signed in the early signing period.