Summer football notebook: Running back AJ McBean transfers to Gardena Serra

There have been dozens of high school football transfers in Southern California during the offseason, and the one who could make the greatest impact is running back AJ McBean, who announced he was leaving Mira Costa High for Gardena Serra.

McBean, who ran 10.55 seconds in the 100 meters this spring thanks to Mira Costa's track program and his commitment to getting faster, joins a Serra offense that returns all five starters on the line. He's got the speed and strength to help the Cavaliers make up for not reaching the Southern Section playoffs last season out of the extremely competitive Mission League.

He's been a longtime resident of Hermosa Beach, so what would motivate him to leave Mira Costa after recently making a commitment to Stanford? He apparently wants to prepare for college by being used in a more versatile role catching passes out of the backfield to show off his many skills. At least that's what his family told coach Scott Altenberg. Mira Costa was changing its offense to better feature him, so it's a tough loss for the Mustangs.

McBean will have to move to become eligible immediately.

Hope at Whittier

Former Garfield coach Lorenzo Hernandez, in his first season at Whittier, already discovered a talent he can't wait to develop. Offensive and defensive lineman Joseph Medina from the class of 2028 has made quite a first impression.

Medina didn't play last season, "and in three months that we have been here, he is off the charts," Hernandez said.

Hernandez calls him "a great technician and amazing leader."

Agoura QB depth

Never has coach Dustin Croick of Agoura had more quality depth at quarterback than what he will have this season thanks to two newcomers.

Junior Kris Carranza transferred from Sierra Canyon and is a top candidate to start. The Chargers also are adding incoming freshman quarterback Emerson Andrews, whose father, David, played tight end at Ohio State and was a member of the 2002 national championship team. He is director of athletic performance for the UCLA men's basketball program. If anyone has a strength and conditioning question, submit it to Emerson, who knows someone.

Commitments rolling in

With college recruiters headed on vacation, lots of players decided to make commitments to make sure they have a "certain" destination. There's also a new trend of players announcing on social media posts that they are "shutting down" their recruitment, which is supposed to mean their decision is final. Then how come others keep recruiting them? Because it's never final in this era of name, image and licensing agreements.

Quarterback Chris Fields, the City Section player of the year from Carson, committed to Georgetown. Offensive lineman Micah Butler of Hamilton committed to Sacramento State. Kicker Gabriel Goroyan of Westlake committed to Stanford. Defensive back Wesley Ace of Gardena Serra committed to San José State. Safety Jaden Walk-Green from Corona Centennial committed to Washington, and teammate Brett Smith committed to Nevada Las Vegas. Running back Kamden Tillis of Los Alamitos committed to San Diego State.

Man among boys

USC recruiters deserve praise for identifying the best players in Southern California and pursuing them with great intensity. There's no doubt that Damien safety Gavin Williams, a Trojans commit, will be the standard for excellence this coming season. He's fast and strong, and players who don't adjust to his physical skills are in for a surprise.

Damien won the Chaminade seven-on-seven passing tournament on Saturday, beating Crespi in the final. On the first play, Williams caught a long touchdown pass, sprinting well past the defender who had no idea how fast he runs.

First-year coaches galore

It's going to be fun tracking the progress of first-year coaches this coming season because there are so many at well-known programs. The question of who will have the best record should be debated all summer.

Iggy Porchia became the latest new hire, replacing his mentor, the late Angelo Gasca, at Venice.

There should be a competition to see which new private school coach and which new public school coach will have the best records. There are so many candidates, with new coaches at JSerra, Orange Lutheran, Servite, Los Alamitos, St. Francis, St. Bernard, Bishop Montgomery, Oaks Christian, Whittier Christian, Bishop Alemany, Muir, Pasadena, Long Beach Poly, Arroyo, North Hollywood, Sun Valley Poly and on it goes.

Transfer issues coming

It appears the Southern Section will be busy again this fall after last year's eligibility scandal, in which it declared 19 transfer students ineligible at Bishop Montgomery, resulting in the varsity season ending after one game and forcing the Archdiocese of Los Angeles to clean up what looked like a preventable mess.

This time, it could be public schools facing scrutiny. The same rumors that started last summer about schools loading up on transfers are circulating again. Principals who don't act after multiple transfers start showing up seemingly out of nowhere to play football have only themselves to blame.

And schools that delay submitting transfer paperwork until the last minute, thinking investigators will be too busy to spot an error, don't understand the process.

City Section commissioner Vicky Lagos has a policy that entails immediately scheduling a meeting with the administration, athletic director, coach and parents when one school receives multiple transfers to review paperwork. The Southern Section deployed artificial intelligence last fall to help it catch parents submitting false information.

So prepare for more exciting times. It's like a cat-and-mouse game. And don't forget about the anonymous emails identifying parents not living at the official address they put on their paperwork.

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.

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This story was originally published June 20, 2026 at 6:07 PM.