Mater Dei WR Jonah Smith, DB Jayden Crowder transferring to Santa Margarita
High school football players are on the move. In between semesters, it's not rare to see players take their last final exam of the fall semester and enroll into a new school in the spring.
Two Mater Dei players have already done so.
Standout sophomores in wideout Jonah Smith and defensive back Jayden Crowder are transferring to Santa Margarita. Crowder announced his move on Dec. 21 via Twitter, and Smith told SBLive he'll be an Eagle in the spring.
"I want to thank Mater Dei for what they’ve done for me and the opportunity they gave me," Smith wrote in a direct message. "This is what I felt like was the best decision for me moving forward."
Smith is listed at 6-foot-1, 175 pounds with offers to top college programs like Michigan, Notre Dame, Texas, Washington and Georgia, among a bevy of notable schools. Crowder is a 6-foot corner with offers to Colorado, Miami and Michigan State among many others.
Crowder played in seven games this past season recorded one interception and blocked two field goals.
Smith caught eight touchdowns this past season, which was the second-best mark behind senior Marcus Brown. Smith tallied 27 catches for 363 yards for an average of 13.4 yards per catch.
His best games were in a 62-0 win over Creekside (GA) when he hauled in four catches for 81 yard and two TDs, and in Mater Dei's 38-0 win over JSerra when he had five catches for 64 yards and a TD.
Smith will join a passing attack at Santa Margarita that already features one of the top 2026 wideouts on the West Coast in Trent Mosley, who tallied 1,282 yards on 81 receptions and 11 touchdowns. QB John Gazzaniga returns as a senior in 2024.
