12 New Mexico high school football players to watch for the 2015 season

Video: Regular season highlights - Henry Hattis
See Cleveland High tackle Henry Hattis' highlights from last season.

This should be the year of the linemen in New Mexico high school football.

Entering the season, the biggest buzz surrounds Grant Hermanns, a 6-foot-6, 255-pound senior offensive tackle from Rio Rancho. At last count he had nine Division 1 scholarship offers with interest coming from the likes of Michigan, Oklahoma and Oregon.

CBS national recruiting expert Tom Lemming calls Hermanns "a big-time ball player, an outstanding blocker and very athletic. He'll be 300 pounds in another year or two."

Hermanns helped lead the Rams to a perfect 13-0 record and the Class 6A state title as a junior.

Coach Dave Howes said Hermanns graded out at 88 percent as a blocker with 46 knockdowns and he carries a perfect 4.0 GPA. He calls him "the most well-rounded person I've ever had on my team."

Another highly coveted offensive tackle is 6-7, 270-pound senior Henry Hattis of Cleveland (Rio Rancho), who has 11 offers, several from strong programs on the West Coast. Lemming noted that Hattis "has a great frame and great potential. If he and Grant Hermanns played in the Chicago area they'd both have a lot (more) offers."

Coach Heath Ridenour pointed out that Hattis has only 5-7 percent body fat and he has gained great confidence and leadership ability from standing out at talent-laden combines during the spring and summer.

On the other side, Teton Saltes is a rising star at defensive end for Valley (Albuquerque). Though the 6-6, 250-pound senior has played only eight games of football, he already has 10 Division 1 offers. A long-time basketball player, he had three sacks in his second game and coach Rico Marcelli immediately knew he had something special.

If you're looking for quarterbacks, check out Artesia's Justin Houghtaling, a 6-5, 180-pound senior. Last year he completed 229 of 381 passes for 3,500 yards and 38 touchdowns. He also ran for 256 yards for the 12-1 Class 5A state champs. Veteran coach Cooper Henderson proudly added that he also is an "A" student.

Artesia is No. 1 in New Mexico history with 28 state football titles and Henderson has accounted for 13 during his 26 years at the helm.

Another talented quarterback, who played in only eight games due to a knee injury, is Kameron Miller, a 6-2, 185-pound senior from Las Cruces. In that short time he still passed for 1,954 yards and 20 touchdowns and ran for 724 yards and five touchdowns. He will be starting for his father, head coach Jim Miller, for the third year.

Alamogordo is loaded with speed and athleticism. Coach Dale Hooper's son, Kyle Hooper, a 6-3, 165-pound quarterback, passed for 2,500 yards and 31 touchdowns last year and he's only a junior. Coach Hooper predicts that Hunter Graham, a 6-0, 195-pound senior, "will be the No. 1 running back in New Mexico. He's a tank and will run over you."

A tight end expected to have a breakout year is Roland Chavez, a 6-4, 218-pound senior from Clovis. Coach Eric Roanhaus noted that he "is smart, has great hands and can run. He ran on our 4x2 relay in the spring."

The state also boasts several superb junior running backs.

Keep an eye on O'maury Samuels, a 5-11, 190-pounder from Los Lunas who runs 40 yards in 4.5 seconds. As a sophomore he rushed for 1,356 yards and scored 16 touchdowns - one on a 96-yard run and two on kickoff returns.

Another top junior who plays fullback and linebacker is Avery See, a 6-0, 230-pounder from Del Norte (Albuquerque). As a sophomore he made 37 solo and 69 assisted tackles and forced three fumbles. Coach Bruce Binkley said he didn't plan on using his defensive star on offense, but he wound up running for 841 yards and scoring 11 touchdowns.

Mayfield (Las Cruces) coach Michael Bradley is high on his junior running back Isaac Vance (5-9, 160). He calls him "one of the most unbelievable players for that size that you ever will meet. He's awesome and runs a 4.5 40."

Jacob Enriquez is another talented linebacker. The 6-1, 240-pounder made 101 tackles and had nine sacks as a junior for Artesia.