Will Case is a reporter at the Cronkite School of Journalism assigned to cover ALA - Gilbert North.

Senior receiver Brandon Phelps was born and raised in Washington but moved to Arizona five years ago. Now, he's a main reason why the American Leadership Academy - Gilbert North Eagles won a state championship in 2022.

Phelps is a three-star recruit, the 145th-ranked wide receiver in the country and ranked the 23rd-best player in the state of Arizona, according to 247 Sports.

Those rankings landed him five Division 1 offers, with three of them being at the Power Five level. Phelps chose to commit to the University of Arizona in the winter of 2022.

“I chose the University of Arizona because they showed me love first,” Phelps said. “For the past three years, they have been consistently in tune with my goals and will help me achieve them.”

Phelps is going to graduate from ALA - Gilbert North early and enroll in the University of Arizona in the spring of 2024.

“I want to get ahead of all the other 2024s in my class to learn the playbook,” Phelps said. “I want to get acclimated to college football because I know it’s going to be hard.”

Phelps deserves all the love from major colleges as he holds major receiving records in the state of Arizona for career receptions, receiving yards and touchdowns. He broke the Arizona Cardinals’ 2018 second-round pick and current Jacksonville Jaguar Christian Kirk’s previous records set at Saguaro High School.

Phelps currently has 254 career receptions for 4,398 yards and 57 touchdowns. In just 43 games, Phelps made it clear that he is one of the best receivers the state of Arizona's history.

“It’s amazing to be able to break those records,” Phelps said. “I’m glad that coach (Randy) Ricedorff and God has put me in the position to have an opportunity to compete at my highest potential.”

Phelps' physicality and toughness at 6-foot-3 and 205 pounds have helped him become an Arizona great.

“When you have the opportunity to work, you do it at 100%,” Phelps said. “You just never know when it could be your last workout or your last game so give it your all.”

Phelps has not always been a football star, however. He had never played wide receiver let alone organized football until his freshman year of high school. He burst onto the scene, racking up 659 yards on 48 catches and five touchdowns on varsity as a true freshman.

Phelps' passion before football was always soccer. He never could’ve imagined himself playing Division I football someday. He thought he was going to be the next great soccer player.

“I was always a soccer kid,” Phelps said. “I do wish I would have played football before high school though just for the experience.”

It appears that Phelps made the right choice in transitioning to football.

“Earning a scholarship when you have never played football before high school is special,” assistant coach Rodney Smith said. “He is one of a kind and college football fans will know his name someday.”

It is not easy to become a star as quickly as Phelps did. It takes hours of hard work and dedication to become a great player.

“I’ve had many early mornings and late nights working hard,” he said. “My dad has been my biggest impact knowing how much he loves the game. He has pushed me so hard -- I just want to go out and do it for him”.

That says a bit about Phelps' unselfishness as a friend, son and teammate.

“Brandon is a great friend and a great teammate,” Eagles quarterback Conner White said. “He’s always there if anyone on the team needs him and he’s always encouraging us to work harder on the field and in the weight room.”