In the (Mix)on

Photo courtesy of Rivals.com

Looks like schools from the Mid-Major ranks to the Bowl Championship Series realm will make its stop in California for perhaps the best running back in the nation - Cali's own Joe Mixon.

Mixon, a Bay Area product from Freedom High School in Oakley, has received Adrian Peterson comparisons and has 19 offers - as a junior!

These offers aren't from the Football Championship Subdivision ranks either. Fresno State, Nevada and Boise State of the Mountain West has offered. Half of the PAC-12, including nearby Cal has made the offer for him. Running back-heavy Wisconsin wants to try and lure him in and even the mighty Southeastern Conference has Arkansas and Texas A&M trying to snatch him up.

His film definitely shows why he's worth all the hype. He's got nice size at 6-foot-1, 200-pounds. His burst through the hole makes him ahead of most of his peers. What sticks out the most, though, is his freakish combination of speed and power. One game saw him shed six different tacklers en route to a 28-yard gain.

Mixon also is a valuable receiver out of the backfield with his same explosive burst through a hole. He returns kicks too for Freedom High and brings an array of juke moves and power.

He'll need to polish his ball-handling ability. Like Adrian Peterson, Mixon too was caught swinging the football away from his body.

Mixon is one of the few running backs in the California prep scene that can clearly run around you or over you. By the time he's done with his senior year and with an even bigger 2013, perhaps every Football Bowl Subdivision school will offer him. He's becoming one of the most highly recruited California running backs in years.

More on Mixon can be found here.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ExRDZWNp-Dg