"I'm Derrick Monroe, from UCLA," he said, extending his hand with a professional smile.
Andrew returned the gesture politely, though not without first exchanging a quick glance with Mitchell and Cameron.
Both of them stopped talking immediately upon hearing the name of the college.
Jay frowned and took a step forward, like a general switching into analytical mode.
Claire, on the other hand, merely murmured, "So they finally started showing up…"
Derrick, sensing the family dynamic, wasn't intimidated. "I don't want to take up too much of your time. Yes, I was watching you today, but truth is, I've been following you since your freshman year at Palisades. Specifically, halfway through that first season. From that point on, I knew you were going to explode."
Derrick wasn't lying, and unlike his friend/rival Marcus, he had come here with an offer for Andrew, not just to observe and see how he fared against Division 1-level schools.
Andrew looked at him with mild surprise. He didn't seem like a liar, and someone tracking him since the early days of high school wasn't something that happened often.
"You actually made my job a lot easier," Derrick added with a half-smile. "Thanks to your YouTube channel and highlight videos, I've been able to follow your development with more precision than most kids. Today's first tournament day just confirmed what I already expected, that you can shred D1 defenses just like you did at Palisades. Excellent first day, by the way."
"Thanks," Andrew replied humbly.
Derrick smiled and continued, "UCLA would like to invite you for an unofficial visit to campus. We want you to check out the facilities, talk to the coaches, and feel the environment. No strings attached. Just so you have a clear picture of who we are," he said.
Colleges don't usually wait until the end of junior year when it comes to exceptional talent. While many scouts prefer to evaluate a player during their adjustment to a school like Mater Dei, others, like Derrick, choose to make the first move, knowing that a well-planted seed may bear fruit at the critical moment.
An invitation to an unofficial visit was often a prelude to a verbal offer for a full scholarship. Nearly everyone present knew that: Andrew, Cam, Mitch, Claire, and Jay.
And they all knew colleges could make those kinds of offers anytime, especially if they wanted to lock down a generational talent before it turned into a bidding war among 20 top programs.
Derrick continued, "I know you haven't started 12th grade yet, so an official visit isn't possible, as NCAA rules state. But since UCLA is nearby, you can come by whenever you'd like, no pressure. If you'd prefer to wait until then, I'd understand."
Andrew nodded respectfully, "I really appreciate the interest. Of course I'd like to do the unofficial visit, see the campus, talk to the coaches. But I'm not ready to commit to any verbal offers yet. I want to focus on my junior year with Mater Dei before I start thinking about college."
Mitch and Cam nodded, as if they had already discussed this.
Claire, standing behind, crossed her arms with discreet pride. Jay simply raised an eyebrow, but he looked satisfied.
"Of course. Just agreeing to the unofficial tour is good enough for me," Derrick said with a genuine smile.
It was a good sign, judging by the family's reactions, they were likely the first program to make a move.
The only downside Derrick saw was that Andrew played at Mater Dei, and Mater Dei had a history with USC: Barkley, Wittek, Blackwell were just recent examples, there had been many more in the past. Bruce, Mater Dei's head coach, had his own past with USC.
Andrew looked at him with a bit more appreciation. He wasn't your typical college salesman, and he liked that.
"Thanks for the opportunity," he said.
"Thanks for your time. Here's my card. Send me a message and we'll schedule a day and time for the visit," Derrick said, pulling a small card from his pocket and handing it over.
Andrew took it and told him he'd message him soon. Derrick said goodbye to everyone.
For a few seconds, no one said anything. Until Jay broke the silence.
"Well… you better get used to it, kid," he said in his usual weathered-old-wolf tone. "From now on, this is going to happen a lot. Campus tours here, tours there… then come the official offers, the promises, the sweet talk. Get ready."
Phil smiled, excited, "I thought this moment was further down the road," he said.
The others nodded. They all knew this was coming, but not this soon.
Cam nodded, placing a hand over his chest. "My baby's already talking to UCLA," he said dramatically, as if Andrew were a preschooler. "Time flies so fast!"
"If I'm a baby, what does that make Lily?" Andrew asked with a strange look as he resumed walking.
"Besides, it's just an unofficial visit… for now," he added.
"Congrats, cousin," Haley said with a proud smile.
"Thanks, cousin," Andrew replied with a slight grin.
"And what do you think comes after that?" Claire said. "You're already on the radar of top football programs. And this Derrick had been following you for a while, now with 20 touchdowns in three games, and whatever you do tomorrow, they won't wait anymore. They'll come after you like starving wolves."
Cam brought his hands to his mouth. "Oh my God, it's true, when you dominate again tomorrow, the rest of the Pac-10 will start dropping like flies."
"Just the Pac-10?" Jay said, as if it were obvious. "I'm sure colleges from other conferences will make their offers too."
"Who would've thought that guy who looks unemployed was a scout," Leonard said.
Maybe the other one was a scout too? From which college? Questions without answers, for today at least.
As Andrew and the others headed toward their cars, Derrick walked in the opposite direction, and was stopped by Marcus, who stood with his arms crossed and a mildly furrowed brow.
"So you already made your decision about the kid," Marcus said bluntly.
Derrick didn't seem surprised by the tone or the implied accusation. He smiled calmly, as if he had been expecting the encounter, after all, they had watched the games together as colleagues and rivals.
"Yeah, I've got a pretty clear evaluation, especially after what he showed today," Derrick said, not lying.
"You hid it pretty well," Marcus said.
He had never shown clear interest in Andrew, though it was obvious he'd been watching, but Marcus hadn't imagined he'd already offer an unofficial visit.
"I've been following him since Palisades. Today just confirmed he can replicate what he did there here," Derrick explained.
Marcus didn't reply right away. After such a stellar performance, 20 touchdowns in 3 games during the tournament, and taking the starting job from Max Wittek, Andrew wasn't a promise anymore; he was the real deal.
In the world of college recruiting, scouts like Derrick and Marcus don't have the authority to extend a verbal offer or a tour on their own.
They must first submit a complete report to the recruiting coordinator and the coaching staff. This includes game footage, stats, personal evaluations, and comparisons with other prospects.
That report then goes through an internal meeting where it's decided whether or not to initiate contact with the player.
Usually, if a program is requesting an unofficial visit before September, it means they're clearly interested in extending a future verbal offer.
In Marcus's case, he hadn't done any of that yet. He only started following Andrew when he heard he had overtaken Max. He still needed to go through the whole process to secure a visit.
So Derrick had gotten ahead of him. And Marcus knew: if you want to harvest, you have to plant early.
"We'll see if he can maintain the level tomorrow," Marcus finally said.
The elimination rounds would be much tougher than today's games. They were likely to face direct rivals from the Trinity League.
"I have no doubt he can," Derrick replied before turning around and walking away calmly.
Marcus remained in place. He was going to submit his report too, but first, he wanted to see Andrew's performance tomorrow.
Now he knew the race for Andrew had officially begun… and someone already had a half-body lead.
When Andrew got home, with help from Howard and Leonard, they edited all the video from his three games.
He already knew his breakout performance at Dana Hills would create a lot of buzz in terms of college offers. So uploading the videos would make scouts' jobs easier. Since he was bound to draw attention and offers either way… why not do it on a larger scale?
They uploaded the video that same night to his YouTube channel.
Video title:
🔴 Debut at Mater Dei – Dana Hills 7v7 | 20 Touchdowns in 3 Games 😱
The video went viral that very night, in just a few hours.
The next day, Andrew and company returned to Dana High School.
It was the final day, only 16 schools remained, all from Division 1.
At 9:45 AM, the round of 16 draw was held in the central organizer's tent.
Mater Dei, having finished first in their group, avoided powerhouses like St. John Bosco, Servite, or Corona Centennial.
Their opponent: Notre Dame of the Serra League.
Andrew was surprised. That was the high school he almost accepted a scholarship from, although it wasn't a full-ride, and it was a tier below Mater Dei. Plus, one of his best friends, Steve, currently played there.
Among his friends, Andrew knew Steve was with Notre Dame for the tournament, and Archie with St. Francis.
However, St. Francis didn't make it out of the group stage. Archie had played as a rotating running back. Andrew hadn't spoken with him in detail, so he didn't know how well he'd done.
As for Notre Dame, they made it to the round of 16 with a 2-1 record. From what Steve had told him, his position was part of a rotation and he didn't get many snaps.
Notre Dame entered this round as a solid team, with a well-designed offense.
Steve wasn't a guaranteed starter, but when he did play, he performed reliably. In this game, Andrew saw him in action for a couple of drives, he did his job with discipline.
Andrew, on the other hand, delivered another quarterbacking masterclass.
6 more touchdowns.
Deep passes, short slants, his first game of the day was yet another clinic. His personal tally was now at 26 touchdowns.
Notre Dame fought with pride. Their offense scored 26 points, but Mater Dei responded with 42.
They won comfortably, proving that the real powerhouse was the offense with Andrew, not the defense.
The quarterfinals were against another strong program. Andrew stayed solid: 4 touchdowns. A lower number than in his previous performances, but given the circumstances, better defensive level, more physical game, it was still a remarkable showing. For any quarterback, throwing 4 TDs in a 25-minute game is impressive.
Mater Dei won 28–14. They were now among the top four.
Andrew had already thrown 30 touchdowns in just five games. He had surpassed Matt Barkley's record of 29 TDs. And he still had at least one more game to play.
In the semifinals, Mater Dei faced Corona Centennial, a powerhouse known for its physical style, aggressiveness, and athleticism, especially on defense.
But none of that mattered. Andrew dismantled every pressure attempt with surgical game reading, exploiting weaknesses, changing plays at the line, and throwing with chilling precision.
Five more touchdowns.
His connection with Victor Blackwell was deadly. Victor had never felt such perfect timing, like Andrew could predict the slightest movement of the defenders.
Final score: 34–21. Mater Dei was in the final.
On the technical side, offensive coordinator Rick couldn't hide his astonishment.
"Thirty-five touchdowns in six games, Bruce… This kid is a monster," he muttered, with a mix of respect and disbelief.
Bruce, arms crossed, kept his eyes locked on the field. He had been the one to approve Andrew's transfer, believing he was a special talent.
But he never imagined this level of dominance in such a short time, not even in his most optimistic projections.
Fate had a flair for the dramatic. The final wouldn't be just another game:
St. John Bosco.
A classic. A war. A high-stakes tradition in California high school football.
Even if this clash was "just" part of a preseason 7v7 tournament, the energy surrounding it was anything but friendly.
Mater Dei and St. John Bosco were the two biggest powerhouses in the Trinity League, and by extension, in the entire country. For years, they had battled for championships, national rankings, and dominance over Southern California.
Both programs had multiple players with college offers, and games between them were played like championship finals.
To many recruiters, it was a more revealing showcase than any highlight reel.
Even in a summer tournament like Dana Hills, pride was on the line.
The atmosphere was intense. The rivalry was alive and no one wanted to lose… even if it was July.
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