Marcos de Niza cornerback Priest Willis, the top-rated recruit in the East Valley, verbally committed to UCLA in a press conference at the school Wednesday night.

He’s known in Hollywood as "Father Willy," and his job is to be a Christian and Catholic influence on what is produced on film and for television.

Willy Lussier hits the local IHOP like Sinatra hit Caesars Palace. "Buenos dias," he says to the host, and he ricochets between shouted "hellos," distant waves and walk-up hugs as I ride his wake to the table.

On Jan. 22, Priest Willis slipped on a pair of powder blue football gloves, aligned his hands in the sign of a ‘U’ and confirmed to the college football world what everyone long suspected: He was verbally committing to UCLA.

The offense gets the majority of the headlines, but playmakers on a defense can affect games in a hurry. The ballhawks are plentiful this year, so quarterbacks must be careful when throwing passes. Here are five players set to make big impacts on Friday nights this fall:

Players to Watch

Paul Elvira stood on the sidelines, soaking it all in.

Maurice Lee was the last one off the bench and into the postgame handshake line for Marcos de Niza on Friday night.

Week 1 football predictions:

Marcos de Niza Padres

Gilbert 5, Mesquite 2: Senior captain Tiffanee Frampton pitched a complete-game, three-hitter as No. 5 Gilbert advanced to the third round of the loser’s bracket with a 5-2 win over No. 9 Mesquite.