Folsom football stars announce college commitments. Where are they headed?

Longtime football teammates and friends while helping power championship teams at Folsom High School made their scholarship commitments to Arizona State on Thursday evening in Florida during halftime of the Under Armour All-America game.

Wide receiver Elijhah Badger and running back Daniyel Ngata were two of six players who announced their commitments at the elite-level game heavy with four-and five-star recruits.

Badger and Ngata will join another local national recruit at Arizona State in Omarr Norman-Lott. The Grant lineman signed with the Sun Devils last month on national early football signing day.

The three student-athletes took their official visit to Arizona State in October. Norman-Lott told The Bee to, “stay tuned” when asked if he would help convince Badger and Ngata to sign with Arizona State.

It’s a mission accomplished for Arizona State defensive line coach and recruiting coordinator Jamar Cain, a Sacramento native and Norman-Lott’s uncle, and head coach Herman Edwards.

Both Badger and Ngata made The Bee’s All-Metro and All-Decade team. They were a major part of back-to-back CIF State Division I-AA Championship teams at Folsom in 2017 and 2018 under coach Kris Richardson, now the assistant head coach at Sacramento State.

Badger in his three years on the Folsom varsity displayed good speed, reliable hands and an athletic 6-foot-1 frame that caught the attention of schools across the country. He caught 183 passes for 3,398 yards and 52 touchdowns, including several spectacular one-handed grabs. He also returned kicks on special teams.

Ngata also played three years on varsity at Folsom. He showcased his versatility as a running back, defensive back, receiver and blocker. He rushed for 2,434 yards and 33 touchdowns and caught 100 passes for 1,237 yards and another 14 scores. His best attribute might be as a blocker out of the backfield as he routinely blew out outside linebackers or defensive backs.

Ngata’s older brothers Joe and Ariel were also standout players at Folsom. Joe is a true freshman wide receiver at Clemson, which plays LSU for the College Football Playoff National Championship on Jan. 13. Ariel is a linebacker at Washington. Ariel and Joe were both Army All-Americans in high school.

The next national signing period is Feb. 5.

This story was originally published January 2, 2020 at 4:38 PM.